A Destiny of Death
by Kamari Turen
Summary: Sequel to TLoL. One year after defeating McLean, Bridgette and her friends face a new threat, one that puts them on the path to darkness and death. WARNING: Contains scenes of graphic violence, as well as a scene of semi-graphic sex. So yeah, the story is rated M. Big surprise, right?
1. Prologue: One Year Later

It was a Friday afternoon, the warmth of summer still lingering in the air, and she should have been enjoying it. She should have been glad she was done with classes for the week and she now had the weekend stretching out before her, with fun and excitement waiting for her. But Bridgette Wells wasn't enjoying it. She wasn't looking forward to the weekend. She wasn't anticipating parties, or games, or whatever else it was that college sophomores did on the weekends. And she wasn't glad things had returned to normal. Because truth be told, things hadn't returned to normal and they never would. Not for Bridgette, not after all she had gone through.

It had been just under a year since Bridgette and her friends had gone through hell. A year since she had faced and killed Chris McLean, her former English teacher. A year since she had lost people she cared greatly about. A year since she herself had died, only to be brought back to life by Dr. McLellen. It had been a year and yet Bridgette still couldn't forget. The sight of Izzy hanging by her throat in that horrible room. The sight of Duncan impaled by twisted, cruel metal spears. The pictures of Jen and Harold and Caitlin and Cody and Sierra, all butchered by McLean. The dying words of Eva, begging Bridgette to kill McLean after Shane had shot her. The wicked, terrifying smiles Shane and Chris had given her as they tortured and killed the people she loved. McLean's cryptic warning about another killer who was lurking out there in the shadows somewhere. Her own pain as the bullets had torn through her flesh. The sound of her own final, shuddering breath. All of these experiences were burned into her mind and try as she might, Bridgette couldn't forget them. The images filled her mind when she slept, haunting her the way a ghost haunts a building, turning even her most pleasant dreams into nightmares which made her cry out in the night only to have Geoff wrap his arms around her and hold her close, a stream of comforting words whispered into her ear.

And yet, through it all, Bridgette had persevered. Despite the nightmares and the fear and the constant reminders of the past she was still standing, still breathing, still sane. Early on she had been convinced she was losing her mind, but as the year had progressed she had slowly come to realize that she wasn't going insane. Still, it wasn't easy and she knew things would never be the same again. There was only one way they could be, but that was impossible. She couldn't bring Duncan and Izzy and all the others back from the dead. If she could she would have done it by now. But she couldn't and she had given up on that idea within a few days after Nikki and Gwen had become concerned about her. The thought still crossed her mind from time to time, but it had been months since she had last seriously considered the possibility of resurrection.

This was a good thing as her roommates, Nikki Wong and Gwen Carver, had been getting worried about her mental state. Bridgette didn't see why they were so concerned. They had lost just as much as she had and yet she was the only one who had considered the possibility. She supposed it didn't matter. Resurrecting the dead wasn't possible anyway so Bridgette had dropped the issue, hoping her friends would stop viewing her with so much concern. She hated that they all looked at her like she could break down at any moment, but it wasn't easy to escape their looks of concern, especially now that everyone was living in Fort Columbus.

This was an arrangement that had been made without Bridgette's knowledge, while she had still been recovering from her fight with McLean. Originally many of the others had been in other places. Heather, Justin, Tyler, and Alejandro had been at Hallesley. Trent, D.J., Beth, and Courtney had been at Mount Royal. Lindsey and Katie had been at Thurmond. And Jude, Starr, Geoff, Jonesy, and Zeke had still been in Fulton, the city where they had all attended high school. True, Owen, Wyatt, Marlowe, LeShawna, Nikki, and Gwen had been at CSU, but Bridgette had not expected the others to join them in Fort Columbus. But after everything that had happened they all seemed to want to be in the same place, lest something happen again. Bridgette couldn't really blame them for wanting to be together and she was glad that they were all there, but it annoyed her that no one had told her about this arrangement sooner. Still, she couldn't be too upset with them, especially considering she had made a promise to herself that she would never take her friends for granted again. There was also the fact that Geoff, Jude, Starr, and Zeke had been planning on attending CSU anyway and the others had simply decided to transfer. Bridgette knew it hadn't been easy for some of them, especially Heather, Courtney, and Lindsey who had all wanted to attend Hallesley, Thurmond, and Mount Royal since they were kids. But there were too many bad memories at those schools now, especially for Courtney and Lindsey as Thurmond and Mount Royal marked the sites of Jen's and Caitlin's murders.

The arrival of her Hayward friends in Fort Columbus wasn't the only change in Bridgette's life. She, Nikki, and Gwen had gained a new roommate, a girl named Lucy Charleson, who was a friend of Bridgette's from Point Stevens. Lucy had taken over Izzy's old room, much to Owen's chagrin, and though it had taken awhile for the others to get used to her, she was now an accepted member of the group. Originally Bridgette had not wanted to get a new roommate, but Nikki and Gwen had talked her into it, arguing that it was easier to pay the rent with four people. It was clear that Nikki and Gwen had been considering Beth, LeShawna, and Courtney as the primary candidates, but they had all chosen to live elsewhere in town. So they had gone with Lucy after Bridgette had received an email from her stating that she was coming to CSU. Bridgette had been excited by Lucy's arrival as they had been very close and Bridgette hadn't seen Lucy since moving from Point Stevens to Fulton.

Lucy was not the only new roommate Bridgette had gained. Geoff was living at the hose as well, despite the protests of the others. He was sleeping in Bridgette's room and was pitching in on rent, but the others were still uncomfortable with him living there, as this house was supposed to have been a girls only living space. Bridgette argued that it wasn't a bad thing to have a guy in the house, especially given all that had happened. For his part, Geoff simply shrugged off the criticism in his usual calm, collected manner, only further annoying Nikki and Gwen, who still insisted Geoff should move in with Trent, Jonesy, and D.J., who had gotten a place just down the street. The others were now living off campus as well, all except Zeke who had to live on campus because he was a freshman. Wyatt and Marlowe had gotten an apartment on the other side of town in the same apartment complex where Katie and Beth now lived, in separate apartments. Jude, Starr, and Owen had gotten a house across the street from campus as had Courtney, who was living alone. Heather, Alejandro, Lindsey, Tyler, and Justin had gotten a place a block from the apartment complex where Wyatt, Marlowe, Katie, and Beth lived. And LeShawna had moved into a small apartment near campus where she lived alone, despite her fears of being by herself. Despite this, they tended to use Bridgette's place as their hangout spot, which Bridgette and her roommates were only too happy to allow.

Bridgette was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't realize she was home until she tripped on the bottom step. Muttering to herself she pulled herself to her feet and made her way inside. The house was deserted as the others were all in class, but Bridgette didn't really mind. She found she liked these moments of solitude more than she had before as they gave her the chance to think. And she had done a great deal of thinking in the last year. She had thought about the past, the future, the friends she had lost, the friends she still had, how short and precious life was, and most of all she had thought about McLean's warning. She had finally told everyone about it nearly two months ago, but she was still no closer to finding the truth then she had been before. Thus far McLean's prediction had not come true and Bridgette had wondered more than once if he had just been messing with her in an attempt to get the last laugh before he died. But given what she knew about McLean that didn't seem likely and she remained convinced that there was another killer out there somewhere. But who this killer was and when he would strike she had know idea and the fact that he hadn't shown his face yet gave Bridgette a small bit of comfort. Still, she had a feeling that despite the current state of calm it was only a matter of time before she and her friends were thrown into the fire once again.

**A/N: And there you go. The prologue to the final part of my crossover trilogy. The usual statements must be made here, namely that I do not own Total Drama or 6Teen. I am simply borrowing the characters for this fic. As usual, there are a few characters who are mine and I'm sure you can figure out who they are on your own. Also, yes, I did finally name the city where Hayward High is located (the city is called Fulton, in case you missed it). Finally, I am going to give this warning now so I don't have to worry about it later. This fic is going to be even darker and more violent than the Lessons of Life. As such, I am warning you now that many characters will die and the expectation I had with TLoL regarding this remain the same. That is, if you are not happy about how a character dies or you have any other complaints, insults or other comments about character deaths, please keep them professional and refrain from directing your anger at me. I am only doing what I feel is necessary for the story and I would appreciate not being called names for making the decisions I make. If you cannot refrain from hostility, you will be blocked. And remember, if there is something you don't like, you can always choose to stop reading. I will not hold it against you, I promise. Thank you for understanding and I hope you enjoy the story.**


	2. Dark Days Ahead

_The hallway was long and dark, stretching out before her into some bleak abyss. She had seen this hallway before and she knew what lay at the other end, but she could not stop herself from moving forward. She didn't know why she returned to this place every night, but she did, as though some force beyond her control was drawing her here against her will. She did not want to walk the hallway, but she had no choice. The force was there, pulling her forward, and no matter how hard she fought she was always pulled forward. And so she walked, her breath tight in her chest, fear pressing in all around her. She reached the end of the hallway quicker than usual, finding the imposing black door standing before her as it always was. Swallowing her fear she pushed the door open, bracing herself for the glares of the dead eyes, but what greeted her was a scene far worse than anything this room had yet shown her. Before her stood her own corpse, her eyes sunken and empty, blood splattered across her face. And behind her stood Geoff, Gwen, Nikki, Heather, and everyone else she knew to be alive. The corpses stared at her with their dead eyes and then the corpse that was her spoke in a hollow, dead voice, saying, "This is your destiny Bridgette. This is what awaits you. Beware, dark days are coming." When she was finished, corpse Bridgette reached out and touched Bridgette on the forehead with two shriveled, dead fingers. Bridgette felt her body spasm and then her mind went blank, sending her spiraling into the abyss._

Bridgette snapped awake, barely stifling a scream. She was shaking, her breath coming in short, painful gasps. Her heart was racing, as though she had just run a marathon and for a moment she was certain it would explode in her chest. And then she felt Geoff's hand on her shoulder, his touch gentle and soothing. Instantly she felt herself calm, his touch somehow draining the fear out of her. She glanced at him and saw that he was sitting up, his smile gleaming in the dark.

"Was it the dream again?" he asked, his tone both comforting and concerned.

"Yes." she answered. "Except it was different this time."

"Different how?" Geoff asked, his expression changing to one of confusion.

"We were there." Bridgette answered. "And we were dead. We were corpses, just like Duncan, Izzy, and the others. And we weren't the only ones. Gwen, Nikki, Heather, we were all corpses Geoff, every single one of us."

Geoff stared at her a moment too horrified to speak. And then he said, "But that doesn't make sense. How could you be a corpse and still be able to view everything at the same time?"

"I don't know." Bridgette said. "It was a nightmare Geoff. I don't know how things work in the dream world."

"Okay, so what do you think it means?" he asked, still confused.

"I'm not sure." Bridgette answered. "But the corpse me said that what I saw was my destiny, that this is what awaits me, that dark days are coming."

Geoff looked less than pleased by these words and Bridgette couldn't blame him. She wasn't exactly thrilled to know that death was her destiny either. But was it her destiny? It had only been a dream after all. She was sure that these nightmares were trying to tell her something, but so far everything she had thought they were warning her about hadn't come true. That didn't mean it wouldn't, but it did make Bridgette more than a little skeptical.

"So corpse you said dark days are coming, huh?" Geoff asked. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"My guess is it has something to do with the man McLean told me about before he died." Bridgette said, shuddering at the thought.

"Yeah, maybe." Geoff said, uncertain. "But I'm still not convinced this guy exists. I still think McLean was fucking with you."

"Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't." Bridgette said. "I don't think we'll ever know the truth unless this guy shows up, since we can't exactly ask McLean. And even if we could, he'd probably just lie to us anyway. But I still think we should consider the possibility."

"What do Nikki and Gwen think?" Geoff asked, giving her a skeptical glance.

"They think, well, I'm not really sure what they think." Bridgette said. "Why does it matter anyway? Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you." Geoff said. "And it matters what they think because they're your friends as well and we should get as many opinions on this as we can."

"Okay, we'll talk to them in the morning." Bridgette said. "Right now I just want to try and get back to sleep."

Geoff nodded and Bridgette lay back down. For a moment she stared at him as he repositioned himself on the bed and then her eyes closed, sleep taking her. She slept soundly for the rest of the night, her dreams filled with images of Geoff's smiling face and the day they had first met.

* * *

The next morning, Bridgette awoke to find that Geoff was gone. She was not surprised by this. He had a habit of waking up before she did and he was likely downstairs making coffee. Smiling to herself, Bridgette slid out of bed and dressed quickly before making her way downstairs, where Geoff, Nikki, Gwen, and Lucy were waiting for her in the kitchen.

"Good morning everyone." she said, making her way over to the coffee pot as she spoke.

"Good morning Bridgette." Nikki said, her tone making Bridgette turn to face her.

Nikki wore a smile, the kind of smile she wore when she was up to something and Bridgette felt herself shiver. If Nikki was smiling like that it usually meant she was about to drop a bomb and Bridgette could guess what that bomb was. Still, she felt compelled to ask, so she did.

"Okay, what are you smiling at Nik?" she asked, glancing from Nikki to Geoff.

"Geoff told us you had another nightmare last night." Nikki answered.

"And, what's so unusual about that?" Bridgette asked. "I've been having these nightmares for a year now, surely you've gotten used to it by now."

"Well, maybe we would have were it not for Geoff telling us that this most recent dream showed you all of us as corpses." Gwen said.

Bridgette shot a dark look at her boyfriend before responding. "Okay, so there was that bit that was different. So what? Dreams change you know."

"Yes, but there's also the part where you think these dreams are warning you about the guy McLean told you about." Nikki said. "Not to mention the part about how corpse you said that death was your destiny and dark days are coming."

Bridgette shot another dark look at Geoff, her blood boiling. She hated it when he did this, going behind her back and telling the others things she had told him in confidence. She had been planning on telling them about her latest dream when she was ready, but Geoff had screwed that plan and now she didn't really feel like talking to anyone.

"What do you want me to say?" she asked, glancing around the room.

"I want you to stop keeping things from us." Nikki said. "If you're having dreams about this shit, you need to tell us. And not just us, the entire group needs to know."

"You think I don't know that?" Bridgette snapped, glaring at Nikki.

"Sometimes I wonder." Nikki admitted, not quite meeting Bridgette's gaze.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bridgette demanded.

"It means, if you really understand why keeping secrets hurts the group, then why the fuck to you continue to do it?" Nikki said, her voice rising.

Bridgette didn't answer. She didn't know what to say. She glanced around the room again and saw that Geoff and Gwen seemed to agree with Nikki. This made her blood boil again, as they were treating her just like they had when she had cheated on Geoff with Duncan. For a moment she just stared at them and then she turned and stormed out of the room without a backwards glance.

* * *

A short time later Bridgette found herself in the park a few blocks from the house, the park where Shane had taken Jude and Starr a year earlier. Tears stung her eyes and she felt the same sense of betrayal she had felt two years ago when her friends had turned on her following the revelation of her relationship with Duncan. It was a horrible feeling and she didn't want to feel it anymore. She knew it was her fault she was feeling it though. She knew she shouldn't keep things from her friends, especially after all that had happened, but it was hard for her to express her feelings to them when she wasn't even sure what she believed. All she wanted was for them to understand, but she realized then that they never would unless she was honest with them. It was then that she heard footsteps behind her, making her jump. She turned to see Lucy walking towards her, a smile on her face.

"Hey Lucy." Bridgette said. "Sorry you had to hear all that. You shouldn't have to be a part of those discussions. You weren't here for everything that happened last year and it's not fair to drag you into the middle of it."

"Don't worry about it." Lucy said, smiling. "I don't mind hearing what you all have to say. I want to help you overcome your past. Not just you, but Nikki, Gwen, Geoff, and everyone else too."

Bridgette smiled, appreciating Lucy's words. And in that moment she was reminded of exactly what it was that had made her and Lucy friends to begin with. It was Lucy's compassion, her desire to help all people regardless of what was troubling them that had made them friends. They were alike in many ways, Bridgette realized. They both liked surfing, they both liked helping people, and they both missed Point Stevens badly.

"I do have a question though." Lucy said, her voice drawing Bridgette out of her mind.

"And what's that?" Bridgette asked, glancing sidelong at her friend.

"Why don't you want to tell them about your dreams?" Lucy asked, brushing strands of her long brown hair out of her face.

"I don't know." Bridgette answered. "I know I shouldn't keep secrets from them, but sometimes I'm afraid to tell them everything, you know? It's like, sometimes I'm afraid they're not going to listen to me or something."

"Bridgette, they're your friends." Lucy said, her tone slightly disbelieving. "How can you think they won't listen to you? You know people better than that."

"I can't explain it, I just feel like they don't trust me sometimes." Bridgette answered.

"Well, I think you're just being paranoid." Lucy said. "They'll listen to you Bridge, trust me. I see the way they look at you, especially Geoff. They adore you, they trust you, they want to help you. So stop worrying about that and just talk to them."

Bridgette was silent for a moment as she took in Lucy's words. They were true and she knew it, but it wasn't as easy as Lucy made it sound. Still, Bridgette would try. She had to try, because if she didn't she risked losing everything and that was not a risk she was willing to take. She looked at Lucy and smiled.

"Thanks for that Lucy." she said. "I really needed that."

"You are most certainly welcome." Lucy said, smiling as well.

For a moment they were silent and then Bridgette spoke again. "You remember that summer when we went beach combing and got lost?" she asked.

"Yeah and our parents had half of Point Stevens out looking for us." Lucy said, laughing. "God, they were so pissed I thought we would both be grounded for eternity."

"Yeah, well, we were only kids." Bridgette said. "I was twelve and you were eleven and we weren't supposed to be wandering that far up the beach."

"Now that I think about it, that was your idea." Lucy said, grinning. "You said you could find the way back to town, but when it came down to it you were just as lost as I was."

"Yeah, I was." Bridgette said. "God, I was so scared. I thought for sure we were going to get abducted by some weird tourist who had a liking for preteen girls or something like that."

"Yeah, I was thinking things like that too." Lucy admitted. "Weird isn't it? How we were so scared of that kind of thing back then and then something like that actually happened to you. I mean, it just seems like there was some kind of plan there or something."

_You have no idea Lucy_. Bridgette thought. _I think there may have been a plan._ She glanced at Lucy and suggested they head back to the house, to which Lucy agreed, saying she needed to get to work on a paper for one of her classes.

On the way back to the house she thought about what corpse Bridgette had told her in her dream and shuddered. If she was right and there was a plan, then McLean's warning could still come true. And if that was the case, then her dream was right and dark days were most certainly ahead.

**A/N: And that's chapter one. As you can tell, there's still more than a few feelings of unease among the members of the group, but after everything they experienced that shouldn't really be surprising. Also, I threw the scene with Bridgette and Lucy in there just to give you some insight into the lives they lived in Point Stevens, where they were best friends. **


	3. Depression

The events of the previous year had effected everyone in the group in some way, but it could be argued that no one had lost more than Katie Holt. This was not an argument that Katie liked to make herself, but the fact remained that only Bridgette had been more deeply effected by McLean's slaughter than Katie. Katie had not only been kidnapped and subjected to horrific torture she had also lost the most important person in her life, her girlfriend Sadie Dawson. Sadie had been kidnapped with Katie and had been subjected to the same torture, but unlike Katie, Sadie had succumbed to the torture. Only a few weeks after being kidnapped Sadie had collapsed and died as a result of the torture, her heart ultimately failing due to the stress. Sadie's death had been the first of five to occur in the dungeons beneath the Halsenburg Mansion and Katie had been in a state of severe depression ever since. Much like Bridgette, the events of the previous year haunted her dreams and mocked her from the dark corners of her mind, driving her past the point of breaking.

However Katie was now receiving treatment for her depression and appeared to be doing much better. She had reluctantly entered treatment six month earlier at the urging of her friends, who had become worried about her after Beth had found a notebook full of different plans for Katie to kill herself. Realizing that Katie was in far worse shape than she had first seemed, Beth had called Bridgette, knowing that Bridgette could relate to what Katie was going through more than anyone else.

Bridgette had offered her support and finally managed to convince Katie to see Doctor Winston James, the therapist who had helped her after she had been raped by McLean. Katie was now seeing Dr. James three times a week, despite having to travel to Fulton to meet with him, and was now taking a powerful antidepressant as well. Still, there were those in the group who worried about her and there were still signs that she was depressed.

* * *

Katie slid out of bed, stifling a yawn as she did. It was Saturday and she had an appointment with Dr. James today. Normally she didn't meet with her therapist on the weekend, but she had called him two days earlier asking if they could meet for an extra session. Dr. James had agreed and told Katie to come by his office on Saturday. Katie had felt a sense of relief knowing that he was willing to see her for an unscheduled session, as she had been feeling worse in recent days and desperately wanted to talk to someone.

Glancing at her clock she made her way to the kitchen of her small apartment looking for something to eat. To her dismay she found her cupboards and fridge nearly empty, with only a couple of cans of soup, a package or ramen, some stale crackers, and an expired carton of milk occupying the space. "Damn it." she muttered, reaching for glass, which she filled with water from the tap. She hated taking her medication without some food, but she had no choice, as none of the food she had seemed appetizing at the moment. Sighing, she popped open the bottle of pills and downed two tablets with a swig of water, promising herself she would stop by the store on her way home.

Having taken her medication Katie made her way back to her bedroom, where she got dressed while staring at the picture of Sadie which sat on her bedside table. The sight of the picture always made her sad, but she could not bare to part with it as it was one of the few things she had left to remind her of the woman she had loved. Sighing again, she grabbed her phone and keys off the table and made her way out of the apartment. Now outside, she glanced at Beth's apartment, which was two doors down from hers, wondering if Beth was home. She didn't think so, as Beth usually worked on Saturdays and was usually gone by the time Katie woke up. Their apartments were on the second floor of the complex and Wyatt and Marlowe lived in a ground floor apartment, which was larger than Katie's or Beth's.

Checking her phone to make sure she wasn't running late, Katie made her way down to the parking lot, heading towards her beat up Honda Accord. She noticed that Beth's car was gone, confirming her suspicions that Beth was at work. Not that she really cared where Beth was. She was not particularly happy with Beth at the moment. In fact she wasn't particularly happy with any of her friends, but Beth drew the most ire as it had been Beth who had first voiced her concerns about Katie's depression. If Beth had just kept mouth shut Katie would be with Sadie in the afterlife right now and she wouldn't have to look at this cold, cruel world anymore. But Beth had to go and call Bridgette and the others and Katie had been forced to listen to their pleas and lectures as they tried to convince her not to kill herself. And it had worked. For all the resistance she had put up Katie had failed to get them to leave her alone and their plan had worked. And because of that she was still stuck here in this shitty world without Sadie, consumed with guilt that she had lived and Sadie had died.

If she was being honest with herself, there was a part of Katie that was glad her friends had intervened. For as bad as she wanted Sadie back, she didn't want to die, not really. That notion had only occurred to her once she had realized that there was no other way to be with Sadie again. But she didn't really want to die. In fact, the thought of death freaked her out, to the point that she was repulsed with herself for having even considered the possibility. And yet, the thoughts of suicide still wormed their way into her mind from time to time and that was why she was meeting with Dr. James today. She had found herself considering suicide again and she was worried the therapy wasn't working.

* * *

An hour later Katie pulled up in front of Dr. James' office. She climbed out of her car and made her way up to the front doors, finding them open, just as Dr. James had promised. She entered the building, finding it empty, which was not surprising since the office was usually closed on Saturdays. She made her way back to the room where she usually met with Dr. James, finding him sitting in his usual chair, a warm smile on his face.

"Hello Katie." he said. "Please take a seat and we'll begin." He gestured at the couch beside his chair and Katie sat, feeling her tensions ease.

"So, Katie, tell me what I can do for you." Dr. James said, glancing at her.

"Well, I've been having thoughts of suicide again and I'm worried I'll actually go through with it this time." Katie said, her gaze focused on his face.

"I see." Dr. James said, his tone contemplative. "And you think these sessions and your medication aren't helping, am I correct?"

"Yes." Katie answered. "I don't think you're a bad therapist, I just think- I don't know, maybe I'm not meant to be helped."

"Katie, you can't think like that." Dr. James said. "You have been through a terrible ordeal and you are severely depressed. These thoughts are just your mind trying to make sense of all that you have endured. But sometimes it takes longer for some people to overcome these feelings."

"So what should I do?" Katie asked. "I don't want to die, but I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself from doing it."

"Well, there are a few things we could try." Dr. James said, his tone kind and sympathetic. "We could up the dosage of your medication, though I'm not sure how effective that would be. We could also try some form of alternative therapy with the hope that it would yield better results."

"What kinds of alternative therapy?" Katie asked, intrigued.

"Well, there are a variety of options." Dr. James answered. "But I would recommend art therapy or music therapy. Using these techniques can allow for a more open dialogue about the issues that are causing your depression. Having you express your negative feelings in a visual medium may allow you to come to terms with those feelings, with the final goal being your ability to eventually move beyond your depression and the experiences that have led to it."

Katie considered this proposition for a moment before commenting. "That sounds promising." she said. "Though I should warn you that I'm not vary good at art or music."

"How good you are doesn't matter." Dr. James said. "The purpose of these therapies is not to prove how good you are at art or music, it is to express your feelings in a physical, visual medium."

"Okay." Katie said. "Let me think about it and I'll let you know at our next session."

"Very well." Dr. James said. "In the meantime, I think I will up your medication by one tablet a day, just to be safe."

Katie nodded and thanked Dr. James for his help before heading home. On her way home she stopped at the store and got her new prescription filled. She also restocked on groceries so she wouldn't have a repeat of that morning. When she got back to the apartments she found Beth waiting outside of her apartment.

"Hey Beth, how was work?" Katie asked, feeling her anger with nerd queen lift.

"Not bad." Beth answered. "How was your session?"

"Good." Katie answered, wondering how Beth knew she'd been at therapy. "Dr. James told me about some alternative therapy methods that might help me more."

"Are you going to try them?" Beth asked, her tone curious.

"I'm not sure yet." Katie answered. "I told him I'd think about it. Would you like to hear more about them?"

"Sure." Beth said. Katie smiled and motioned for Beth to follow her inside. Beth followed and for the next two hours they talked about alternative therapy, Beth's job, and the prospect of things returning to normal. Finally Beth stood and moved towards the door.

"Well, I should get going." she said. "Thank you for dinner Katie and good luck with your therapy. I hope this really helps."

Katie nodded and smiled and Beth left. As soon as she was gone Katie set about cleaning the dishes and then took a shower. Once she was done cleaning she took her evening dose of her medication and made her way to her room. Her mind was racing and she felt lighter and more content than she had in months. The prospect of a new therapy had her feeling happier than she had felt in over a year. Dr. James seemed to think that this new therapy would help her and she was inclined to agree with him. He had yet to give her bad advice and she trusted that he wasn't leading her astray this time either. Her conversation with Beth had done a great deal to lift her spirits as well. She had admitted to feeling betrayed when Beth had told the others about her depression, but Beth had blown her apologies off, saying she understood. It had made Katie feel good to know that she hadn't hurt Beth's feelings by acting so cold towards her. And now that she had apologized she found herself questioning why she had been so upset in the first place. Beth was a good person who was just looking out for her and so were the others. They had all been through hell together and they all had a responsibility to help each other come to terms with that. And in that moment Katie resolved to stop dwelling on her own negativity and become a more positive force in the group. She would go through with the alternative therapy and with any luck she would free herself from the chains of her depression.

**A/N: And that's chapter 3. Like I said before, Bridgette is still the main character of this fic, but I will be shifting the focus onto others more often throughout the story. If you're wondering what happened with Bridgette and the others after the first chapter, don't worry. All will be explained in time. Finally, the stuff about alternative therapies may not be accurate, as I have no experience with treatment for depression. So I probably just made some of that stuff up, but it may be accurate as well, so don't go assuming that I know what I'm talking about. Thanks.**


	4. Suicidal Thoughts

A week later Katie found herself at Bridgette's house, celebrating her newfound happiness. She had now had three sessions of her new alternative therapy and she was feeling better than she had in a very long time. Dr. James had been right, this therapy did work and Katie would be grateful to him for the rest of her life. She had let go of so many negative feelings in the past week that she was in awe. She could not believe she had been walking around with such a heavy burden all that time and was truly surprised that she had not bowed to the pressure. She had come close on several occasions, but she had not broken. Thanks to her friends and Dr. James she was still standing despite the burden and the overwhelming sense of guilt she had felt since Sadie's death. She was still standing and she would never bow to the pressure again.

Katie was at Bridgette's place for two reasons. The first was to celebrate her first week in alternative therapy. The second was to begin planning for the memorial service in honor of the one year anniversary of McLean's slaughter. The service was to remember and honor those they had lost and Katie found herself looking forward to it. The group didn't talk about the events of the previous year all that often and Katie felt they should. She could understand why no one wanted to, but she felt it was necessary if they wanted to return to normal. She was not the only one who felt this way either. Gwen, Nikki, Courtney, Beth, Tyler, and D.J. had all pushed for more communication on the subject as well, but they had not been successful at getting everyone to talk about it, until now. For her part, Katie could not be happier that everyone had finally agreed to talk, though not everyone was present for this meeting. Heather and Alejandro were absent, as were Justin, LeShawna, Owen, Wyatt, and Marlowe. There were reasons for their absences however. LeShawna, Justin, and Owen all had to work, Wyatt and Marlowe were studying for a test, and Heather and Alejandro were having a romantic evening together, which they had planned over a month earlier. But everyone else was there and Katie was glad because she had been avoiding most of them for months and wanted a chance to apologize.

"You don't need to apologize Katie." Bridgette told her, more than two hours into the meeting. "We all understand what you were going through, especially me. So don't worry, none of us were offended."

Katie smiled and nodded. Bridgette was not the first one to tell her that, but she still felt like she needed to apologize. However, there was something about the way Bridgette had spoken to her that took Katie's mind off apologizing. She had noticed the tension in the room the moment she had walked in and could guess what had happened. Still, she felt compelled to ask, so she did.

"Is everything okay here Bridgette?" she asked, glancing at Bridgette.

"Well, not really." Bridgette admitted. "I had a fight with Nikki and Gwen a week ago and things have been a little tense around here ever since."

"What happened?" Katie asked, her curiosity peaked.

"They were accusing me of keeping secrets again and I got pissed." Bridgette answered.

"And were you?" Katie asked. "Keeping secrets, I mean."

"Technically yes, but I was planning on telling them." Bridgette answered. "I was planning on telling everyone, actually, but it's not important now."

"What kind of secrets were you keeping?" Katie asked, trying not to sound accusing.

"Just things about my dreams." Bridgette said. "Look, can we not talk about this. I have other things I need to do."

Katie nodded and Bridgette left, leaving Katie with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She did not want her friends to fight, not now, not when it seemed things were finally returning to normal. She remembered quite well what had happened the last time the group had broken down and she did not want to repeat that pattern. But she could not think of a way to prevent the fighting and ultimately decided that it was an issue that Bridgette, Nikki, and Gwen had to solve on their own. She did not know all the details and to get involved now would likely make the situation worse and she did not need to add to the burden she already carried. So Katie would keep her silence and hope that everything worked out for the best.

As the night wore one, Katie found herself slipping back into a funk, the familiar feeling of depression creeping back into her mind. She wasn't sure what made the depression return. She had been doing so well since beginning the alternative therapy and she had no reason to feel depressed, but something was bringing her down. Maybe it was Bridgette's fight with Nikki and Gwen that was bumming her out. Or maybe it was the fact that she couldn't figure out a way to stop them from fighting. Or maybe it was just her desire to be with Sadie again. Whatever the reason, Katie's depression was returning and with it came the thoughts of suicide that had been her depression's constant companion. Fearing she would draw the other's concern Katie decided to head home where she could try and work through her issues in solitude.

* * *

Katie arrived at her apartment twenty minutes later, her whole body shaking as she tried to keep the negative feelings contained. She could not give in to this, not now, not when she was making so much progress. But in the back of her mind she knew she couldn't fight it. This had been her plan all along, after all. She had called Dr. James, complaining that her treatment wasn't working with the hope that he would give her a new treatment. And he had, the plan had worked. The alternative therapy had given Katie the excuse she needed to stop taking her medication, which she had done more than four days earlier. She had not taken a single dose since Monday and she had been feeling the depression the entire week. Her upbeat demeanor had been a facade, a means to lull the others into believing that she was getting better so they wouldn't have a reason to suspect she was up to something. But she was, she had been planning her own demise for weeks now and she had finally reached the moment of truth. Now was the time to make good on the promise she had made to herself. Now was the time to end it all. But if that was the case, why couldn't she do it?

That was the one question Katie had yet to answer. If she was so sure she wanted to commit suicide, then why hadn't she done it yet? She could not be sure, but there had to be a reason. The most likely cause of her delay was fear, but she had told herself multiple times that death was not something to fear. Death was an inevitability and to fear it was illogical, or so Katie kept telling herself. The truth was that she did fear death, but that could no longer be an excuse. She had to kill herself, it was the only way for her to deal with the pain she felt. And so Katie moved to end it, heading for her bedroom where her stash was hidden.

Upon entering her room Katie made her way over to her closet, flinging open the door with fevered anticipation. For a moment she rummaged around until she found what she was looking for, a black canvas bag which contained several bottles of OxyContin and Vicodin. She had been gathering the medications for over a month, buying them from dealers who got them with fake prescriptions. She dumped the bottles onto the bed and stared at them for a moment, contemplating her next move. She then grabbed the bottles and made her way to the kitchen, where she retrieved a glass and the bottle of wine she had purchased a week earlier. She then made her way to the living room, depositing the glass, wine, and drugs on the coffee table before taking a seat on the couch.

Swallowing her fear Katie uncorked the wine and filled the glass to the brim. She then popped open two of the bottles, one of each drug, and emptied their contents onto the table. Sighing, she grabbed a handful of pills and brought both them and the wine up to her lips. She paused then, a voice in the back of her mind begging her to stop. For a moment she listened to the voice and thought about how horrible this was. She was about to kill herself and she hadn't even considered the pain it would cause the others. The thought had never even crossed her mind, until now. How would they feel when she was gone? How would her death affect them? Would they miss her the way she missed Sadie? Katie doubted they would. She had never been a central member of the group and she was sure the others would move on without her.

But would they? Would they really move on? Or was she more loved than she realized? Was she really just a fringe member of the group? Or was her continued existence necessary for the group to continue? By now, Katie had set the glass and pills back on the table. She was still too conflicted to go through with this. She had to be sure her death wouldn't have a negative effect on the group before she could go through with her plan. But what if there was no way to be sure? Another voice was speaking in her mind now, pushing her towards suicide.

For a moment Katie sat and listened to her mind as it argued with itself and then she made her decision. "I have to do this, it's the only way." she muttered, reaching for the wine and pills again. And then, before she could stop herself again, she crammed the handful of pills into her mouth, washing them down with a deep swig of wine. She closed her eyes, waiting for death to come, but nothing happened. Frustrated, Katie grabbed more pills and shoveled them into her mouth, following them with another swig of wine.

For the next several minutes she repeated the pattern and then she felt her stomach lurch. She rose to her feet, staggering towards the bathroom, her whole body trembling. She made it only a step or two before she collapsed, vomiting violently. She could feel her body trying to rid itself of the chemicals, but it wasn't happening fast enough. Her heart rate was speeding up as the chemicals overran her system and the room was spinning around her in a blur of color. She felt her body jerk as her heart shuddered to a stop and then everything was gone. Katie plunged into darkness and all pain ceased as her life came to an end.

* * *

Several hours later Beth arrived back at the apartment complex, the meeting at Bridgette's now over. She had noticed Katie leaving early and was glad the meeting was over, as she was concerned about Katie's wellbeing. She paused outside Katie's door and knocked. There was no response, making Beth shiver. "Katie, are you in there?" she called. Again there was no answer, making Beth even more nervous. She tried the doorknob, finding that it was unlocked.

Cautiously Beth made her way into Katie's apartment, glancing around the room for any sign of her friend. "Katie?" she called. "Katie, are you here?" It was then that she noticed the wine and pill bottles on the table. Beth felt her heart constrict and then she spotted Katie's body, sprawled on the floor, a puddle of vomit beneath her face.

Beth moved to Katie's side, but she could tell it was already too late. Katie's eyes were open, blank and glassy, staring at nothing. Her mouth was slightly agape, dried vomit crusted on her lips. An empty pill bottle was clutched in her left hand and a half empty wine glass sat on the floor beside her body. Beth just stared at Katie, too shocked to move, tears flowing silently down her cheeks. It had finally happened. The depression had claimed her and now Katie Holt was dead, the victim of her own desire to escape the pain.

**A/N: And so the character death begins. Before we go any further I should mention that I was going to post this chapter on Saturday, but my internet was tweaking out so I had to wait till today. Sorry about that. Anyway, I know I made it seem like Katie wasn't going to kill herself, but that was the plan all along. She was so devastated by losing Sadie that she felt she just couldn't go on. Now, this in no way means I support the idea of suicide. If you or anyone you know is feeling suicidal, please get help. Suicide is not the only option and there are people who can help. So please keep that in mind when you review this chapter. I am not advocating suicide, it was (in this case) just a plot device for this story. Thanks. **


	5. Day of Mourning

"I can't believe she did it." Courtney muttered, her voice hollow. "I can't believe Katie actually killed herself."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." D.J. said. "I mean, the signs were there. We all knew she was suicidal, but did any of us really think she would do it? I have to admit that I didn't. I thought it was just talk, that she was just bluffing. But she wasn't and now it's too late."

The silence that followed D.J.'s words was deafening. It had been less than twenty four hours since Beth had found Katie's body and the group was still reeling from the news that she was dead. They were gathered at Bridgette's house, all of them in shock as they tried to process what Beth had told them. D.J. was right, they had all know that Katie had been suicidal, but none of them had expected this. They had all thought Katie had been getting better and to learn that this whole time she had been planning to kill herself was like knife in the gut. Beth had found a note in Katie's bedroom that detailed Katie's plans, making it clear that she hadn't been getting better at all. She had been faking it and had planned to kill herself all along. She had been collecting drugs and planning this for months and none of them had been aware of it.

It made Bridgette feel sick to know that this whole time Katie had been suffering and none of them had helped her. That wasn't entirely true, however. They had tried, she and Beth most of all, they had tried and Katie had ignored them. Still, Bridgette found that she wasn't angry with Katie. She knew how hard it had been for Katie to live without Sadie and she found that she couldn't blame Katie for wanting to escape from her pain. But it still upset Bridgette to think that suicide had been Katie's only option. There had to have been another way. Suicide was never the only option and Bridgette felt an overwhelming sense of sadness knowing that Katie had been so lost in her pain that she had felt death was the only way out. Bridgette had felt that pain before. She knew what it was like to feel like your world was falling apart around you. But she had found strength in people who cared about her. Katie had been one of those people and to know that Katie had been unable, for whatever reason, to find that same strength made Bridgette feel like she had failed. Katie had been there for her when she needed a friend and when it had come time for her to return the favor she had come up short and because of that Katie was dead.

"So, where do we go from here?" Starr asked, her voice bringing Bridgette out of her thoughts even though the question was directed at the group.

No one answered and for a moment Bridgette wasn't sure herself what they should do next. And then a thought occurred to her. "The memorial service." she said. "We have to go through with the memorial service."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Tyler asked. "Given what's happened, do you really think we should go through with that?"

"Yes." Bridgette answered. "We can add Katie to the service. It makes sense. Her suicide was a result of what happened last year and remembering those we lost is the point of holding this memorial service."

"Okay, you've got a point there." Tyler admitted, though he still seemed less than enthusiastic about going through with the memorial.

Truth be told Bridgette wasn't sure she wanted to hold the service either, but she was determined to see it done. The friends they had lost deserved to be honored and they had been planning the service for months. To just abandon it now seemed like a waste of time and a slap in the face of the memories of their friends. So the service would happen, even with the cloud of Katie's death hanging over them.

* * *

Two days later the group gathered in the gym of Hayward High School. They had just held Katie's funeral a few hours earlier and the sadness they all felt hung thick in the air. The group was joined by the Kings, Dr. McLellen, Katie's parents, the families of the other victims, Dr. James, other Hayward teachers, and their own families. The gym was decorated in somber colors and a shrine had been erected in the memory of the deceased. Pictures of each of them sat on the shrine, each picture stabbing Bridgette with a twinge of pain. The pictures of Izzy and Duncan were particularly hard for her to look at as doing so brought the memories flooding back. She still vividly remembered the sight of each of them dead and the memory brought bile to the back of her throat. But she swallowed her urge to vomit and stepped up to podium as the room fell silent.

"Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to remember the loved ones we have lost over the past year." Bridgette began. "Tragically we must add Kathrine Sarah Holt to the list. Katie took her own life three days ago and I cannot begin to express how her passing will affect us. It is a sad commentary on life to learn that just one year after graduating from high school so many wonderful people had their lives cut short by a cruel, twisted man who thought he was gaining an understanding of life by taking it from others. I feel like I must again apologize for this, as it was my fault this happened. I know none of you blame me for McLean's actions, but it is, in some ways, my fault. But I will not dwell on this subject for today is not about mourning how these lives ended, it is about remembering how these amazing people lived. Thank you."

With that, Bridgette stepped down from the podium, her gaze seeking out Geoff who gave her a reassuring smile. She moved to stand beside him as Nikki stepped up to the podium.

"Thank you for that Bridgette." Nikki said. "Your words have touched us all and we will never blame you for what happened. But as you said, today is not about mourning. And so, with that thought in mind I would like to turn your attention to those we have come here to honor. We will give a short remembrance of each of the victims, beginning with Jennifer Lynn Masterson, whom I shall speak for. I first met Jen in kindergarten and for years we were inseparable. I loved Jen like a sister and even though we would go our separate ways upon entering high school, there was always something that connected us. Jen was the epitome of all that is good in this world. She was kind, caring, compassionate and loving. She went out of her way to help others and was planning on becoming a family councilor. I know she would have done it too. Jen could be extremely stubborn and never quit once she set her mind to something. She will be missed and I know she is in a better place now. May we all learn from the example Jen set as we honor her memory. Thank you."

Nikki stepped down and Owen took her place. "Hello everyone." he said. "I am here today to tell you a little bit about Isabella Marie Sharpe, who preferred to be called Izzy. I first met Izzy in middle school. At first I was afraid to talk to her, but that didn't matter, because she talked to me. We quickly realized we had a lot in common and by freshmen year of high school we were dating. Izzy was a person everyone could like. She was spontaneous, outgoing, friendly, funny, and above all else a loyal friend. She was the love of my life and I will miss her for the rest of my time on Earth. But Izzy would not want me, or any of us, to dwell on our sadness forever. So, though we will all miss her, let us do her the honor of remembering the good person she was and live our lives the way she would want us to. Thank you."

Owen stepped down from the podium, making way for Chef. "Duncan David Reynolds." Chef said, his deep voice echoing in the silent room. "Duncan was the black sheep of this family, but he was loved. I first met Duncan the second week of his freshman year here at Hayward. At first he was just another student to me, and a troublesome student at that. But as I got to know Duncan a bit more I realized that behind his tough exterior was a young man in search of an identity. It became my desire to help him find that identity, but it wasn't until he met Bridgette Wells that Duncan discovered himself. And for that I am eternally grateful. Duncan was like a son to me and that he was able to find happiness before he died is more than I could have asked for. Duncan is proof that anyone of us can overcome our obstacles and achieve our goals and that is a lesson we can all learn from. Thank you."

After Chef, Lindsey delivered a speech about Caitlin, followed by Heather's about Tricia, Darth's about Harold, Beth's about Sierra, Julie's about Cody, Jude's about Noah, Wyatt's about Eva, Starr's about Sadie, and LeShawna's about Chrissy. The service closed with Marlowe's speech about Katie, a speech which brought more tears than any other. When Marlowe was finished Gwen took the podium, fighting back her tears as she moved to wrap things up.

"Thank you all for coming." she said. "Thank you to those who spoke on behalf of the deceased. Your words were beautiful. May we all take them to heart as we remember the lives of those we have lost. Thank you."

With that, the service was brought to an end. Later that night Bridgette sat in her room and reflected on the service. It had been a beautiful service, one that had lived up to her expectations. The speeches had been wonderful and had done a great deal to honor the deceased. Chef's speech about Duncan had been especially touching as the thought that Chef thanked her for making Duncan happy made Bridgette feel warm inside. She hadn't done anything special with Duncan, but she had always known she had touched him in a way that no one else had before. And to know that Duncan had not been the only one to notice that made Bridgette feel better than she had in days. Still, she couldn't be too happy, as this was not about her. This was about remembering those they had lost and they had. They had remembered, despite how painful it was and Bridgette was grateful for that. What had begun as a day of mourning had become a day of remembrance and Bridgette could not have asked for anything more.

**A/N: So that's that. The service was meant to mark the one year anniversary of the war with McLean. It also served the purpose of bringing Katie's part in this story to a close. I know it was a short chapter, but I think it served its purpose so that's really all I have to say about that.**


	6. Love and Other Desires

Bridgette sat in her room waiting for Geoff, who was in the shower at the moment. It was the day after the memorial service and they were just hanging out at the house, letting the power of the service settle in their souls. Bridgette hadn't spoken to Geoff about the service after they had returned home the previous evening and she had wondered if he even wanted to talk about it. But that morning he had told her that he did and so they would, as soon as he was done with his shower.

Bridgette was staring out the window when Geoff entered her room, so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear him enter. It wasn't until she felt his breath against the back of her neck that she realized he was there. "What're you looking at babe?" he asked.

She turned to look at him, her eyes meeting his. "Nothing in particular." she said.

For a moment they simply stared at one another, each of them taking in the sight, and then Geoff spoke again. "Well, that was some service yesterday." he said, with a crooked smile.

"I thought it was nice." Bridgette said, also smiling.

"Yeah, I did too." Geoff answered. "But it was more work than I thought it was gonna be."

"We were honoring our friends Geoff." Bridgette said. "They deserved a proper remembrance and that's exactly what we gave them."

"Well that's certainly true." Geoff agreed, his smile growing.

"What are you smiling at?" Bridgette asked, with a curious glance at her boyfriend.

"You, I'm smiling at you." Geoff answered. "You look beautiful."

Bridgette glanced down at herself and shook her head. She was dressed in an old pair of jeans and T-shirt from one of the resorts in Point Stevens. All together, not one of her more attractive outfits, but she supposed Geoff didn't care. He would think she was beautiful no matter what she wore, so she chose not argue, instead choosing to kiss him as her way of saying thank you. Geoff seemed content with this response as he took her in his arms and spun her towards the bed, his lips moving furiously against hers. They fell onto the bed, their bodies entwining in a passionate embrace and for a moment all else ceased to exist. And then Geoff pulled away, his face flushed.

"What is it?" Bridgette asked, her breath coming in gasps.

"I was just thinking." Geoff answered. "I was just thinking that we can't take anything for granted anymore."

"Yeah, I know that." Bridgette said, confused. "We already talked about this. Why are you bringing it up again?"

"The service yesterday." Geoff answered. "It was such a beautiful service and it made me think about all that I hold dear in this world. It made me realize that no matter what happens we can't let those things go to waste. We did that last year and look what it cost us. I won't let it happen again Bridgette, I won't. No matter how hard it is, I won't let it happen again."

Bridgette stared at him, too shocked to speak. Why was he telling her this now? She already knew he was determined to ensure nothing tore them apart again, so why was he telling her? Did he think she didn't know?

"Geoff, why are you telling me all this?" she asked, finally finding her voice again.

"Because I love you Bridgette." Geoff answered. "I love you and I never want to see you suffer the way you did last year again. We have only a short amount of time on this earth and I don't want to take another minute for granted."

"Neither do I, but there's more to this than what you're telling me." Bridgette said.

"No, you're right." Geoff said. "There is another reason I'm bringing this up now."

"And that reason is, what exactly?" Bridgette asked.

"We haven't had sex." Geoff answered, his tone more blunt than he had intended it to be. "We've been together for nearly three years now and we still haven't had sex."

Bridgette didn't quite know how to answer. Geoff's statement was only partially true. They had both engaged in sexual activities, just not with each other. Bridgette had had sex with Duncan and she knew Geoff had done it with Alyssa Channing, the drummer of the Gangbusters. Still, she didn't see why this was such a big deal.

"So we haven't had sex, what's the big deal?" Bridgette asked, trying not to sound annoyed.

"The big deal is one or both of our lives could end tomorrow and we would never have consecrated our love." Geoff answered.

"Okay, but I still don't see why this is bothering you." Bridgette said. "It's not like we'd die without ever having had sex."

"Actually, that's exactly why it's bothering me." Geoff said. "You've had sex with Duncan and I've had sex with Alyssa, but we love each other. We should be having sex with each other, not Duncan or Alyssa."

"Okay, first of all, the thing with Duncan happened spontaneously and I only went along with it because at the time I didn't know you were interested in sex." Bridgette said. "Also, Duncan isn't here anymore and he was a loyal friend who died to protect us, so I would appreciate it if you'd stop acting like he was your enemy."

"Okay, sorry." Geoff said. "I didn't mean to shit on his memory."

"Your apology is accepted." Bridgette said. "And, as for you and Alyssa, that happened before we had even met, so it has no bearing on what happens between us. I don't blame you for having sex with her, so don't dwell on it, okay."

"Okay, I'll let that go." Geoff said. "But that still doesn't solve the problem of us."

"Are you asking for sex now?" Bridgette asked, glancing at him.

"Well, yes, I am actually." Geoff said. "I was kind of hoping we could do it now."

"Okay." Bridgette said, with a casual shrug.

"Wait, what?" Geoff asked. "Did you just-?" His sentence died in his throat as Bridgette pressed her lips against his. For a moment the kiss was one sided and then Geoff surrendered to the moment, his body relaxing against hers.

Bridgette leaned back, pulling Geoff with her so that she was trapped between the bed and his body. She could feel the pace of his pulse quicken as she moved from his lips to his neck. Her blood surged in response to his touch and she felt her spine arch as his hands reached around to her back. His hands slid beneath her shirt, his fingers seeking out the clasp of her bra. Seconds later she felt the bra slide down her body and then it was flung across the room. Her shirt came off next and then Geoff moved to her jeans, which he pulled off without unzipping them first. Her underwear went next and then Geoff took a moment to pull off his own clothes.

Now totally naked they stared at each other a moment, each of them admiring the sight of the other's body. And then Geoff leaned in, his hands resting on her thighs. He ran his fingers along the bare flesh of her right thigh, his touch making her shiver with excitement. His hands made their way up to her hips, then to her belly, where his fingers traced the scars left behind by her encounters with McLean. And then his hand moved to her breasts, his fingers caressing the soft flesh with a tenderness she had never known before. She closed her eyes and let him have his way with her, enjoying every second of it. The feeling of his fingers against her naked breasts was exhilarating, but it was nothing compared to what was to come.

After several minutes of silent caressing the true sex began. Bridgette felt Geoff's penis enter her vagina and the feeling was immense. She had never felt anything like this before. Her only previous experience with sex had been her flings with Duncan and the night she was raped by McLean. Neither of those experiences had been as good as this and she felt tears of joy roll down her cheeks at the thought that sex with Geoff was better than any she'd had before. The feeling of him in her was extraordinary and she cried out as he moved within her, every movement bringing a fresh wave of pleasure. She could tell that he was enjoying this as well, which only made her happier. Anything that brought Geoff joy brought her joy and this moment was bringing them both more joy than they had ever experienced before.

They went at it for more than an hour before finally collapsing in an exhausted heap on the bed. Bridgette was breathing heavily, her heart racing as she came down from the high of her first truly satisfactory orgasm. She couldn't remember exactly when she'd reached the orgasm, but she knew she had. There was no other explanation for the way she felt at that moment, as if she had just had the most pleasureful experience in the history of the world. She looked at Geoff and saw that he was smiling, which made her smile too.

"How was that Bridgette?" he asked, panting slightly.

"It was great." she answered. "I didn't realize how badly I wanted that until we did it."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Geoff said as he rolled over onto his back.

Bridgette snuggled up against him, draping one arm across his bare chest. Heat was radiating off of his body and she felt as though she would never be cold again, despite the fact that she was naked. For a moment they lay in silence and then Geoff spoke again.

"Thank you Bridgette." he said. "Thank you for having sex with me."

"You're welcome Geoff." she said, smiling to herself.

"I love you Bridgette." Geoff said. "I love you so much."

"I love you too Geoff." she said, smiling again.

With that they fell silent, both of them wanting this moment to last forever. They had finally had sex with each other and in that moment Bridgette felt like there was nothing in the world that could harm them.

**A/N: Okay so, yeah, that was the sex scene I mentioned in the summary. I know, it probably wasn't as graphic as the summary made it sound, but I'm not great at writing these kind of scenes. Anyway, you're probably wondering how it's possible that Bridgette and Geoff hadn't had sex with each other yet, seeing as they've been together for a while now. Well, that was mainly a decision on my part as I thought it would create some tension in their relationship and the story. And if you're wondering about Geoff and Alyssa, remember that Geoff was in a relationship with Alyssa before Bridgette came along. So, that's all I've got on that chapter. Get ready, because things are going to start getting darker as we move forward from here.**


	7. The Gathering Darkness

The next morning Bridgette awoke to the sounds of her roommates banging around downstairs. Confused she slid out of bed and dressed before making her way down to the main floor. She arrived to find Nikki and Gwen pushing the couch up against the opposite wall from where it had previously sat. Geoff and Lucy were moving other pieces of furniture into place, apparently working at Nikki's command.

"Uh, what's going on in here?" Bridgette asked, glancing at her roommates.

"Oh hey Bridgette, how are you this morning?" Nikki said, seeming to notice Bridgette for the first time. She was breathing heavily from the physical exertion and was drenched in sweat, strands of her purple hair plastered to her forehead.

"I'm doing fine." Bridgette answered. "But I'd still like to know what's going on here?"

"Oh this?" Nikki asked, glancing at the re-arranged furniture. "This is nothing. Gwen and I just decided it was time to change things up."

"What was wrong with the way we had things arranged before?" Bridgette asked.

"Nothing, we just wanted to change things up." Gwen answered, stepping out from behind the couch as she spoke.

"Okay, but did you have to do it when I was sleeping?" Bridgette asked.

"Oh sorry, did we wake you up?" Gwen asked, exchanging a sly grin with Nikki.

"Yes, you did." Bridgette answered. "And what was that grin about?"

"What grin?" Nikki asked, her tone innocent. "We didn't grin, did we?" She glanced at Gwen who shook her head.

"Yes you did." Bridgette said. "Now what was it about?"

"They heard us last night." Geoff answered, with an annoyed look at Nikki and Gwen.

"Wait, you mean they heard us having sex?" Bridgette asked, appalled.

"I'd wager all of Fort Columbus heard you and Geoff having sex." Lucy said, with a grin.

"Not helpful Lucy." Bridgette said, with an annoyed glance at her friend.

"I wasn't trying to be helpful." Lucy said, with another grin. "I was simply pointing out my observations of what occurred."

"Gee, thanks for that." Bridgette muttered, her tone dark.

"Why are you so upset about this?" Nikki asked. "So we heard you and Geoff having sex, what's the big deal? Are you ashamed or something?"

"No, I was just hoping that it had been a private affair." Bridgette answered.

"Well, it wasn't, so get over it." Gwen said. "It's not like we're gonna go around and announce to everyone that you and Geoff finally fucked."

"Well I should hope not." Bridgette said, shocked that Gwen had even thought of such a thing. "This is a private matter, no one else needs to know."

"Yeah well, they're gonna find out eventually." said Nikki. "We've all been waiting for you two to have sex and the others are bound to find out now that it's finally happened."

"Wait, you've all been waiting for us to have sex?" Geoff asked. "Why the fuck would you do something like that?"

"Because we knew you two needed to do it." Gwen answered. "Otherwise how could we be sure that your relationship was meant to be? You know, given all that happened with Duncan and Alyssa and all that."

"Okay, so we've finally done it, happy?" Bridgette snapped. "And for the record, what happened between me and Duncan, and Geoff and Alyssa is none of your fucking business."

"Whatever you say Bridgette." Nikki muttered, turning to head for the kitchen. "You guys want some breakfast?"

Bridgette and the others did not answer, but they followed Nikki into the kitchen where they each set about making breakfast.

* * *

Later that morning Bridgette sat on the couch reading a book for one of her classes, though her mind was still racing as she tried to process what Nikki and Gwen had told her. She had no doubt that they had been rooting for her had Geoff to have sex, but their reasons made her a little suspicious. Why would they think that previous sexual relationships would have any bearing on what happened between her and Geoff? And why did they care? It was true that they had been instrumental in getting Bridgette and Geoff together, but why did they care if she and Geoff stayed together? Bridgette had no answers and ultimately decided she was just being paranoid. Nikki and Gwen had no reason to be suspicious of her and she was sure that they weren't. They had just been messing with her and there would come a day when she would pay them back. That's how things went with her friends. They were always playing jokes on one another and Bridgette had no reason to think this had been anything other than another attempt by her roommates to get one over on her.

Content that she had nothing to worry about Bridgette went back to reading, only to be interrupted again by the sound of the mailbox being closed. Sighing, she closed her book and got to her feet, but before she could reach the door Lucy flew past her, returning seconds later with the mail.

"What's with you Lucy?" Bridgette asked, staring at her friend in confusion.

"I have something coming in the mail and it's supposed to be here today." Lucy answered.

"And what would this something be, if you don't mind my asking?" Bridgette asked.

"It's nothing." Lucy said. "Just a book I really-oh my God!" She was looking at an envelope in her hand with a look of utter terror.

"Lucy, what is it?" Bridgette asked, moving towards her friend.

Lucy held out the envelope, her hand shaking. "This is addressed to you." she whispered.

Bridgette took the envelope and stared at it, noticing immediately what had freaked Lucy out. The address of the house was scrawled across the envelope in blood and there was no return address. Bridgette felt her skin crawl as she stared at the writing, her mind blank as the fear took hold.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Geoff asked as he, Nikki, and Gwen entered the room. "We heard Lucy squeal and we-" He stopped when he saw the look on Bridgette's face sensing that something wasn't right.

Nikki seemed to sense it as well for she asked, "Bridgette, what's wrong?"

Bridgette turned to face them, her hands shaking. "This came in the mail." she said, holding up the envelope for them to see.

"Is that blood?" Gwen asked, staring at the scrawl.

"Yes." Bridgette answered. "It's blood."

"What's inside the envelope?" Geoff asked, not sure if he wanted to know.

"I don't know." Bridgette replied, shaking her head. "I haven't opened it yet."

"Well do it already." Nikki said, trying to keep her voice calm.

Bridgette nodded and tore the envelope open finding a letter inside which was also written in blood. The letter was written in a hand Bridgette did not recognize, but its message was eerily familiar. _I am the one McLean warned you about. I am the disciple of darkness and I am coming for you Bridgette. Beware, the darkness is gathering._

"What's it say?" Gwen asked, peering over Bridgette's shoulder.

"It says it's from the disciple of darkness, whatever that is." Bridgette said, her voice hoarse in her suddenly dry mouth.

"The disciple of darkness?" Geoff asked. "You don't think this has something to do with what McLean told you before he died, do you?"

"I think this is exactly what McLean was warning me about." Bridgette said. "The note says that this disciple of darkness is the one whom McLean warned me about."

"Well shit." Nikki muttered. "Now would be a nice time to have that bastard alive."

"What makes you say that?" Geoff asked, with a disbelieving glance at Nikki.

"Well, if McLean was still alive he could explain what this letter means." Nikki answered. "Or am I the only one who wants to know what a fucking disciple of darkness is?"

"No, you're not." Bridgette answered. "I want to know too. But I don't think McLean would have been any help. He would have undoubtedly fed us some bullshit story to lead us right into a trap or something like that."

"So what do we do now?" Gwen asked. "If we can't ask McLean, how do we find out what this all means?"

"I don't know." Bridgette said. "But we need to let the others know about this before we make any more moves."

"Agreed." said Nikki. "If we're going to tackle this we need everyone to be involved."

Geoff, Gwen, and Lucy nodded in agreement and they set about contacting the others to warn them about this new, cryptic message.

* * *

Two days later the entire group was gathered at Bridgette's place, minus the Kings and Dr. McLellen who were busy with other endeavors. There was a nervous energy amongst the group and Bridgette knew why. This was the moment they had been waiting for ever since she had told them about McLean's warning. Many of them had been more than a little skeptical about the validity of McLean's warning, but all skepticism seemed to have ceased with the arrival of the letter. Still, there were those who were ready to question this latest warning as well.

"So how do we know for sure this letter isn't just a joke?" Tyler asked, his tone thick with skepticism and suspicion.

"Oh come one dude." said Jude. "You can't be serious. You're really gonna question the validity of this letter after all that's happened to us?"

"Yes, I am." Tyler answered. "Look, we all know McLean was a lier, so how do we know that he wasn't just fucking with Bridgette. We've seen no evidence to suggest that another killer exists, save this letter, and it's been a fucking year. So why are you all so convinced this threat is real?"

"Because some of us think that McLean had followers like Shane." said Geoff.

"Shane is dead." Tyler snapped. "He can't have written the letter."

"McLean may have had other followers, you idiot." Geoff snapped.

"Man fuck you." Tyler said. "I don't see any way to prove this is real."

"Did you miss the part where the letter was written in blood?" Owen asked, his tone perplexed. "That's got to count for something."

"No it doesn't." Tyler said. "How do you know it's blood? And even if it is, where did it come from? God, you guys are so fucking paranoid it's almost funny. How do you know this isn't just Bridgette trying to get attention or something?"

"You dare." Nikki snapped, rising to her feet. "You dare accuse Bridgette of making this up. Have you forgotten, Tyler, what happened last year? Have you forgotten what Bridgette went through, what we all went through?"

"No, I haven't forgotten." Tyler said, sounding almost ashamed. "But that still doesn't prove that this supposed new killer is real. How do you all know for sure that he is when you haven't even seen him?"

"It's just a feeling I have." Bridgette answered. "I've had this feeling since I woke up in the hospital. This feeling that something bad is going to happen, that the darkness is gathering out there somewhere, waiting to take us all out."

The room was silent for a moment following Bridgette's speech. No one knew what to say, but the could all see the fear on her face. And if she was frightened by this message, then they all should be and they all knew it. If Bridgette had a feeling they had no right to question her, as she had been right before and she probably was again.

"Alright, I'll believe you guys." Tyler said, after a moment of silence.

"Good, now let's start trying to figure this out." Gwen said, glancing around the room.

The others nodded in agreement, but before they could set to work there was a knock at the door. Bridgette moved to answer it, only to find the porch empty save for another envelope. She picked it up and tore it open with trembling hands, finding another letter inside.

"What's this one say?" she heard Geoff ask from behind her.

She didn't answer, instead choosing to show him the letter which read, _Prepare yourselves, your destiny is about to begin._

__**A/N: So there you go, the first hints that McLean's warning was legit. And now that they know the threat is real, how are Bridgette and her friends going to respond? Stay tuned to find out. Oh, by the way, I'm starting a pair of online classes tomorrow so the updating schedule will likely be a bit sporadic for the next few months, but don't worry I will continue to update.**


	8. A New Killer

A dark cloud had settled over the group again, shutting out all of the positive gains they had made in past year. The two mysterious, cryptic letters Bridgette had received had brought with them the familiar feeling of despair that had been their constant companion the previous year. Bridgette had received several more letters in the week that had passed since the arrival of the first and she was growing more uneasy by the day. Each successive letter had held the same message, that the disciple of darkness was coming and that death was their destiny. Bridgette and the others had yet to figure out who this disciple of darkness was or what that title even meant, but that was not stopping them from taking this threat very seriously. They had brought the Kings and Dr. McLellen in on the investigation, but so far they had proven to be less then helpful. It seemed they were just as confused by the messages as everyone else was. This fact only made Bridgette more uneasy as she was so used to the Kings and Dr. McLellen having all the answers and to learn that they didn't in this case reminded her that they were only human, just like she was. She couldn't expect them to know everything, though she could continue to hope that they would find the answer in time.

But it wasn't just the fact that the Kings and Dr. McLellen didn't have the answers that was bothering Bridgette. There was also the fact that these messages were exactly the same as the dreams she had been having for the past year. The corpses in her dreams had given her the exact same warning, that death was her destiny and darkness was coming. It couldn't be a coincidence that she had been having these dreams and then someone would send her the same warnings in real life. The only problem was, Bridgette couldn't figure out how the two were connected. If her dreams had been an early warning of this threat, how had she known about it before hand? And how did this disciple of darkness know what she was dreaming about? More importantly, were her dreams and the letters even connected at all? Bridgette had no answers and she was beginning to feel like she was going insane again, a feeling she hadn't felt in months.

For their part her friends had noticed how agitated she had become since the arrival of the first letter and they were becoming concerned about her again. As usual Geoff, Nikki, and Gwen were at the forefront of the wave of support, but others were lending more of hand as well. Lucy was particularly interested in helping Bridgette out, as she had never seen Bridgette so terrified before and she disliked the sight. LeShawna, Jude, Starr, Wyatt, Marlowe, Owen, Beth, D.J., and Trent were also highly supportive and Heather was showing a particularly strong desire to support Bridgette as well. And of course there were the Kings and Dr. McLellen, who had become like second parents to Bridgette. And yet, for all their support, Bridgette still felt uneasy and she was certain that feeling wouldn't go away until they had solved this mystery and stopped their new enemy from harming them. So for now they would all do their best to support Bridgette and hope that nothing came of these threats, a hope they would cling to despite the fact that none of them truly believed they would escape without casualties.

"So, how do we stop a killer we can't find?" Alejandro asked, glancing around the room. It had now been nine days since the first letter had arrived and the group was gathered at Bridgette's trying to find the answers once again.

"I don't know, how do you think we do it?" Tyler snapped, with an irritated glance at Alejandro. "You've asked that question every day for the past week and no one has had an answer for you so why do you keep asking it?"

"Because I'm trying to find a way to stop this fucker." Alejandro answered, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Yeah, well, asking questions isn't going to solve the problem dude." Tyler said.

"It's better than anything you've done." Justin said, rising to defend his cousin.

"Man, fuck you." Tyler shouted. "I'm doing things, you're just to stupid to understand them. Or maybe it's not that you're stupid, maybe it's that you don't care?"

Justin rose but Owen grabbed him before he could attack Tyler. "That's enough guys." Owen said. "We don't have time for this shit."

"Get off me." Justin snapped, shrugging out of Owen's grasp. He glared at Owen a moment before turning his attention back to Tyler.

"Justin stop." Heather said, holding her hand up to stop him. "Owen's right. We don't have time for this and we can't afford to fight with each other. We have more important issues to deal with and I will not have you jeopardizing our chances, understood?" She glanced at him, despite the fact that she couldn't see him because of her blindness.

"Tyler started it." Justin muttered as he sat back down, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"And I'm ending it." Heather snapped. "I don't want the three of you fighting with each other again. If you do, I swear I will slap you all silly, got it?"

Justin, Tyler, and Alejandro all nodded, though again Heather was not able to see them. Nikki smiled at this, suddenly appreciating her cousin more than she had in a long time. "Well said Heather." she said, with another grin.

"Thank you Nikki." Heather said, with a friendly nod at her cousin.

For a moment no one spoke, all of them too shocked by what they were seeing. Many in the room had never imagined they would see the day when Nikki and Heather got along, but that was just another of the changes brought about by the events of the previous year.

Nikki and Heather seemed not to notice this as it was Nikki who spoke next. "Well, now that we've settled that can we get back to figuring out who this so called disciple of darkness is?"

"Certainly." said Heather, with a smile. "Do you have any theories Nikki?"

"Not really." Nikki admitted. "But I have been thinking. If this person really is the guy McLean warned Bridgette about then shouldn't he be acting with a bit more caution?"

"What makes you say that?" Bridgette asked, speaking for the first time.

"Well, it just seems to me that this guy is being a little bolder than I thought he'd be." Nikki said. "I was expecting him to sneak around in the shadows a bit more."

"That's a good thought Nikki." said Dr. McLellen. "But actually, when you consider how bold McLean was, this guy is actually being quite cautious. He hasn't attacked any of us yet and he hasn't shown his face at all. The same cannot be said of McLean, who came here right after escaping from prison and began killing shortly thereafter."

"Okay, so, why do you think that is?" Nikki asked, looking slightly disgruntled by having her theory shut down.

"My guess would be it's because he's more dangerous than McLean." Dr. McLellen said. "I say this because an enemy who cannot be seen is much more difficult to stop. He can strike from anywhere, at any time, and we would have no idea until it was too late."

"That's an unpleasant thought." Trent muttered, glancing around the room.

"Yeah, no kidding." said Owen, with a nervous glance at Dr. McLellen.

"So, what do we do?" Beth asked, her gaze also traveling around the room.

"As to that, I have no answers." Dr. McLellen said. "I cannot say what our next more should be until I have more information about our enemy."

"Well, then we need to find a way to get that information." said Jonesy. With that, the meeting broke as the group went their separate ways to try and figure out how to discover the identity of their enemy.

* * *

Two days later, after hours of fruitless searching Justin, Tyler, and Alejandro decided to take a break and play some basketball. It had been Tyler's suggestion, as he was still trying to mend fences with Justin and he thought a game or two would be a good way to clear their heads. Justin had agreed and they had set out around two that afternoon. They had met D.J. and Jonesy at the park a few blocks from the house where Justin, Tyler, and Alejandro lived. A couple of other guys they knew from class were there as well and before long they where wrapped up in the game, all their troubles forgotten.

For the next four hours they played, completely unaware of the threat lurking in the shadows nearby. Finally, as dusk began to fall, the game came to an end and they guys made their way home. D.J. and Jonesy took their car, as did the others, but Justin, Tyler, and Alejandro walked home, as they lived only a few blocks away.

"Well, that was fun." Tyler said. "It was nice to think about something other than mysterious new killers for once."

"Yeah, it really was." Justin agreed. "Thanks for suggesting we play Tyler."

Tyler nodded and was about to apologize for having been such an ass at the last meeting when Alejandro froze, his muscles tensed as though he was prepared to fight.

"What's up Alejandro?" Justin asked, looking at his cousin with a confused expression.

"Shut up a minute." Alejandro snapped. "I thought I heard something."

Tyler and Justin glanced around them, both of them straining to see in dim light, but there was nothing but houses, trees, and street lights surrounding them.

"Dude, there's nothing there." Tyler said, glancing at Alejandro. "You're just being paranoid. Let's go."

No sooner had Tyler finished speaking when something large and heavy dropped out of a tree, hitting him squarely in the back, right between the shoulder blades. Tyler barely had time to react before the object, which Tyler realized was a person, had moved on to Alejandro and Justin.

"NO!" Tyler shouted, jumping to his feet. He lunged at their attacker, but a stiff kick to the midsection sent him reeling backwards, all air crushed from his lungs. Another kick caught him in the side of the head, sending him sprawling on the pavement as everything went dark.

* * *

Tyler snapped awake, finding himself laying on his back in the middle of the street. Groaning, he pushed himself into a sitting position and glanced around, spotting Alejandro laying a few feet away. He crawled over to his friend, relief washing over him as he realized Alejandro was still breathing. Seconds later Alejandro snapped awake with a groan and Tyler pulled him to his feet.

"What the hell happened?" Alejandro asked, glancing at Tyler and wiping blood from his nose on the back of his hand.

"I don't know." Tyler answered. "We were on our way home from the park, you said you heard something, and then I think someone attacked us. But I don't know why."

"It was the mystery man, it has to be." Alejandro said. He paused then, a look of pure terror passing over his face. "Wait, where's Justin?"

Tyler glanced around them, but there was no sign of Justin anywhere. "Justin." he called. "Justin, dude, where are you?"

It was then that they heard a gurgling gasp from somewhere in the darkness, making them both shudder. They moved in the direction of the sound, finding Justin laying on his back, blood pooling beneath him. There was a long, deep gash across his midsection and another across one side of his neck. His shirt was soaked with blood and his eyes were rolling in their sockets as his life leaked out of him.

"Oh God." Tyler breathed. "I think you were right Alejandro. We were attacked by our mystery man."

"Never mind that now." Alejandro snapped. "We've got to get him to the hospital."

"The hospital is on the other side of town, we'll never make it there in time if we go on foot." Tyler said, glancing at Justin as he spoke.

"Then we'll head home first." Alejandro snapped. "Heather and Lindsey need to know about this anyway."

Tyler nodded and together they carried Justin back to the house, Alejandro reassuring him the whole time. They arrived back at the house a few minutes later, bursting inside just as Lindsey and Heather were sitting down to eat dinner.

"What the hell guys?" Lindsey asked. "Why are you so late?"

"Not now Linds." Tyler said, not meeting her gaze. "We've got a situation here."

"What do you-oh my God what happened?" Lindsey asked, changing course mid sentence as she noticed Justin's bloody body.

"We were attacked." Tyler said. "Some dude dropped out of a tree and attacked us."

"Was it him?" Lindsey asked, her voice thick with fear.

"I don't know, but I assume it was." Tyler answered. "Can you help us with him?" He gestured at Justin and Lindsey nodded, glancing back at Heather.

"Go Lindsey." Heather said. "Help Justin, I'll be okay."

Lindsey nodded again and turned back towards the guys, hoping it wasn't too late to save Justin. His wounds were severe and she doubted there was anything she could do to help, but she had to try. Justin was her friend and she would not let him die.

Unfortunately, Lindsey's assumption proved to be correct, for as she moved to help stabilize him, Justin suddenly choked as blood came gurgling out of his mouth. His body gave one last convulsive twitch and then he was still, death taking him.

"Justin?" Alejandro asked, leaning down beside his cousin. "Justin, answer me dude."

"He's gone dude." Tyler said, his voice hollow. "He's gone, I'm sorry."

Alejandro didn't respond, his mind too numb to allow for words. He simply stared at Justin's lifeless body while Tyler and Lindsey watched him, and Heather moved to comfort him. It had finally happened. The new killer had finally struck and now Justin was dead. Bridgette had been right, the killer had been lurking and now it was too late to stop him.

**A/N: And so it begins. The darkness has finally arrived and now all hell is going to be unleashed. So prepare yourselves, there's going to be lots of blood and violence from here on out. Also, just in case you've forgotten, Heather is now blind. This is the result of the torture McLean put her through and will be revisited in depth later in the story. That's all I'll say for now, but just remember, lots of people are about to die. **


	9. Whispers in the Dark

"Did you get a look at his face?" Trent asked, glancing at Tyler.

"No, it was too dark and he moved like nothing I've ever seen before." Tyler answered, his voice hollow and sullen. "I didn't even know what was happening until it was too late." He turned away then, not wanting his friends to see his tears.

Twelve hours had passed since Tyler, Alejandro, and Justin had been attacked by a mysterious attacker who had taken Justin's life. News of the attack had spread like wildfire and the entire group was now gathered at the house Tyler, Alejandro, Heather, and Lindsey shared. It had been Justin's house as well, but he would never again see it and this fact had hit the group like a ton of bricks. The moment they had all feared had finally come to pass and the entire group was in shock. They had all been expecting this, but few of them had really believed that it would happen, despite the recent warnings. But it had and now all any of them could do was sit in shock as they tried to process the awful truth. Trent was not the first to ask if Tyler and Alejandro had gotten a look at their attacker and it seemed pointless to keep asking as they both gave the same answer. Neither of them had seen the attacker's face and they had no idea if the attacker was even a man.

No one seemed overly concerned about that at the moment however. They were all trying to comfort Tyler and Alejandro and would worry about the attacker's identity later. Yet, despite their best efforts, none of them had been able to cheer Tyler and Alejandro up and they were all beginning to realize it would take a long time for them to be happy again. It was never easy to recover from the shock of losing a loved one and it would be harder in this case, especially for Alejandro, who was Justin's cousin. It would be hard for Tyler as well, as he and Justin had been very good friends for as long as anyone could remember. And yet, Tyler and Alejandro weren't the only ones who had been close with Justin. Heather and Lindsey had been close with him as well, but no one seemed to care how they were feeling, except for Bridgette, who pulled them aside for a private meeting.

"What Bridgette?" Lindsey asked, slightly annoyed. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to ask how the two of you are doing." Bridgette answered, meeting Lindsey's annoyed expression with one of defiance.

"What do you mean?" Lindsey asked, her expression softening.

"I mean, how are you doing in regards to Justin's death." Bridgette asked. "I know he was a good friend of both of you and I couldn't help but notice that no one else has tried to comfort you."

"Thank you for that Bridgette." Heather said, her blank gaze turning in Bridgette's direction. "I appreciate your concern and I know Lindsey does too. I don't really know how to answer your question though. It's hard, but Justin was closer to Tyler and Alejandro than he was to us so we're trying to be strong for them."

Bridgette nodded, appreciating Heather's words. She could understand why Heather and Lindsey wanted to stay strong, but she could tell that they were in pain. It was very easy for her to recognize when people were in pain, having experienced so much herself, and Heather and Lindsey were most definitely in pain. But they obviously didn't want to talk about it now so Bridgette kept her mouth shut, assuring them that she would be there for them when they finally decided to talk. Heather and Lindsey thanked her for her words and returned to the living room where the others were gathered. Bridgette left through the back door and went for a walk, ending up in the park where the guys had played basketball earlier that day, where she finally broke down and cried.

* * *

Two days after Justin's death the group finally got back to work on figuring out who their mystery man was. Justin's death had made finding the truth even more important and no one was willing to rest until the attacker's identity had been discovered. Unfortunately, despite their increased efforts, they were no closer to finding the truth than they had been before. The lack of information was making Bridgette very frustrated and she was beginning to wonder if they would ever find what they sought. But she wouldn't give up hope, not now, not ever. No matter how bad things seemed at the moment Bridgette would not give up because deep inside she knew they would find the answers and they would stop the disciple of darkness.

Bridgette was not the only one who was unwilling to give up. Nikki, Gwen, Geoff, the Kings, Lucy, Dr. McLellen, Heather, Owen, Jude, Starr, and everyone else for that matter were all still determined to find the answers. Perhaps no one was more determined now than Tyler and Alejandro who seemed to have gained a new, stronger desire to stop the killer in the wake of Justin's murder. The loss of their best friend had lit a fire in the two former jocks and they would not be stopped until they had gotten revenge.

But while the others were more than willing to help, the burden of stopping the killer still fell primarily on Bridgette's shoulders. She was the one to whom the killer had sent the messages and she was the one McLean had warned. And so, she felt it was her responsibility to find the truth on her own, even if it killed her. Fortunately Bridgette wouldn't have to go quite that far as the truth was closer than she realized.

The afternoon of the second day after Justin's murder finally brought the first truly helpful information that Bridgette had been hoping for. While flipping through the channels on TV Bridgette came across something that caught her attention. There was news report about a fugitive killer who seemed to fit the profile of what Bridgette was looking for. Excitement coursing through her, Bridgette ran upstairs and grabbed her laptop, returning to living room to find Geoff, Nikki, Gwen, and Lucy waiting for her.

"What's up Bridgette?" Lucy asked, her tone confused.

"I think I may have found him." Bridgette replied, turning on her laptop as she spoke.

"Found who?" Lucy asked, now even more confused.

"The killer." Bridgette answered. "The disciple of darkness. The guy who killed Justin."

"Wait what?" Geoff asked, perplexed. "How did you manage that?"

"I was watching the news and I saw a story about an escaped killer." Bridgette answered.

"And how do you know this escaped killer is the guy we're looking for?" Nikki asked.

"I don't." Bridgette answered. "But based on what they were saying on the news about this guy, he certainly seems to fit the profile of our mystery man."

"Okay, so what are you doing with the laptop?" Gwen asked, glancing at Bridgette.

"I'm going to look this escaped killer up and see what I can find on him." Bridgette replied.

"What makes you think you'll find anything on him?" Nikki asked.

"According to the news this guys case was huge, very high profile, so there has to be something on him." Bridgette answered. "Also, he escaped from Archer, which is where McLean was being held, so there might be a connection between them."

"I guess it's worth a shot." Geoff said, after a moment of silence.

The others agreed and together they searched the Internet for information on this escaped killer. Their efforts were hindered slightly by the fact that Bridgette hadn't caught the man's full name. All she had was his last name, Hall, and it was proving difficult to find anything on an escaped Archer prisoner named Hall. Still, they did manage to find a few bits of information, though not enough to conclusively prove this Hall was the man they were after. But they weren't the only ones looking and there were whispers of a strange man hanging out on the outskirts of town. Bridgette wasn't sure if these rumors were connected to Hall or not, but she would find out, one way or another.

* * *

Four days after Justin's murder the whole group got together for another meeting, all of them eager to hear what Bridgette and her roommates had discovered. No one else had made much headway in the search, but the news that Bridgette had found something made the others forget about their own inability find anything. Bridgette was not angry with them for their inability to help her, as she knew they had all been trying and that was all she could ask of them. Still, several of the others, especially Tyler, Alejandro, and Heather, were not happy with themselves and apologized for not finding anything helpful. Bridgette thanked them for their apologies and then presented her findings, much to the excitement of the others.

"Okay, so here's what I discovered the other day." Bridgette said, glancing around the room. "There is an escaped prisoner who was locked up in Archer, where McLean was, and I think he may be connected to McLean in some way. Also, according to what Nikki and Gwen found on the Internet, this guy was in prison for murder. Apparently he committed several gruesome murders several years ago using methods similar to those used by the guy who killed Justin."

"Do you have a name for this escaped prisoner?" Courtney asked.

"Unfortunately we only have his last name." Bridgette answered. "His last name is Hall."

"Wait, did you just say Hall?" Dr. McLellen asked, glancing at Bridgette.

"Yes." Bridgette answered. "Why, is the name important?"

"It very well may be." Dr. McLellen answered, glancing at the Kings now.

"Okay, what aren't the four of you telling us?" Wyatt asked, his tone suspicious.

"Watch your tongue Mr. Williams." Ron said, with a stern glance at Wyatt.

"Ron, not now." Chef said. "Wyatt has every right to question us and we should tell them what we know. It could help."

Ron looked for a moment like he wanted to hit Chef, but he gave a curt nod to show he understood Chef's point. Chef nodded and turned to the group. "The truth is, we do have information that may prove helpful and we will share that with you now." Chef said.

"Why didn't you share it with us sooner?" Geoff asked.

"Because we wanted to be sure it was accurate first." Dr. McLellen answered. "If we had given you this information and it had proven to be faulty all we would have done would have been to have given you a false hope. But we can share the information with you now because we now know it to be accurate."

"It has something to do with the name, doesn't it?" Bridgette asked.

"It does indeed." Dr. McLellen answered. "Chef, would you like to continue the story?"

"Certainly." Chef said. "The name Hall is important because it is the last name of a man whom McLean was very close with, a man whom many believed McLean was grooming to be his successor before he turned to Shane."

"Wait, so you're saying McLean had a disciple before Shane?" Geoff asked.

"Exactly." Chef replied. "Though I'm not sure I'd call him a disciple. He was more like a student whom McLean was teaching his philosophy to. The man's name was Gideon Hall and he was arrested and charged with the murders of four people around six years ago."

"Gideon Hall." Bridgette repeated, testing the name to see how it sounded in her mouth. It didn't seem like a very menacing name, but neither did Shane Shoals or Chris McLean and they had both been extremely menacing. Regardless of how menacing the name sounded at least they now had a name, though none of them were certain Gideon Hall was indeed the man who had killed Justin.

"So, you say McLean was teaching this Gideon his philosophy, but what exactly does that mean?" Courtney asked.

"We're not clear on that." Chef answered. "McLean's philosophy is mystery we are still trying to fully understand, though you were all introduced to it last year."

"Oh yeah, that's right." Trent said. "All that bullshit about understanding life by killing and whatever other insane gibberish McLean was spewing while he tortured us."

"Exactly." said Coach Halder. "But it may not have been solely McLean's. There is evidence that suggests the philosophy was developed by someone else and McLean was just interpreting it to suit his needs."

"That's an unpleasant thought." Jonesy said, with a nervous glance at Coach.

"Yes, it is." Coach Halder agreed. "I wouldn't worry about it too much though. The evidence is of a questionable nature and we haven't been able to verify its validity."

Coach's words seemed to calm whatever fears had risen from his declaration about McLean's philosophy, but there was another question that was still bugging Bridgette. "So, how can we verify that our mystery man is indeed Gideon Hall?" she asked, glancing around the room.

"I'm not sure that we can." Dr. McLellen answered. "All we can really do at this point is wait and hope that Gideon is not involved in this, because if he is, we are all in more danger than we originally thought."

"What makes you say that?" Nikki asked, not sure she wanted to know.

"The fact that Gideon is more dangerous than McLean and Shane combined." Dr. McLellen replied. "He is an extremely efficient killer and is virtually impossible to track, which is why it took the police so long to catch him and is likely why he was able to escape from prison and go undetected for so long. He is a master of hiding in plain sight, so we will have a very difficult time spotting him, if he is indeed involved."

"Based on what you just told us, I'm going to guess he is." Bridgette said. "McLean told me that this new killer would be even more dangerous than he was and Gideon certainly fits the description. So I think we need to proceed with the assumption that it is Gideon we're dealing with."

"Agreed." said Geoff. "I trust Bridgette's decision making on this and I think we should at least consider the possibility that it's Gideon."

The others agreed and the meeting broke up. Later that night, as she came downstairs for a glass of water, Bridgette found another note, again written in blood. She opened it to find the words she had been expecting. _Very good Bridgette. You figured out my identity. I am indeed Gideon Hall, the disciple of darkness, and I am coming._

**A/N: So there you go, the identity of the killer has been revealed, sort of. We still don't know what he looks like, but at least we have a name, which is better than nothing. By the way, the title of this chapter refers to the fact that everything the group was discussing were technically rumors, whispers in the dark if you will, until the end when Bridgette received the note confirming that it is indeed Gideon Hall they're dealing with.**


	10. Struggle to Breathe

"So we were right then, it is Gideon we're dealing with?" Owen asked, glancing at Bridgette with a look of pure terror.

"It would seem so." Bridgette answered, her voice hollow. She didn't quite meet Owen's gaze for fear of seeing her own fear mirrored in his eyes.

It was the morning after the discussion about Gideon Hall and the entire group was once again gathered at Bridgette's house. They had received the news about the most recent message earlier that morning and had all rushed over for another meeting. Bridgette had spent the morning in a near catatonic state of disbelief, trying to come to grips with the horrible truth. Geoff had spent that time trying to comfort her, while Nikki, Gwen, and Lucy had made contact with the others. The others had arrived an hour earlier, finally bringing Bridgette out of her state of shock. They had been questioning her ever since and she somehow felt comforted by this, perhaps because their questions made it clear that she wasn't the only one who was afraid. Still, despite the presence of her friends, Bridgette couldn't shake the feeling that all hell was about to break loose.

"Well, now that we know for sure we're dealing with Gideon we can begin formulating a plan to stop him." Courtney said.

"You make it sound like it's gonna be easy." Nikki said, with a disbelieving glance at Courtney. "But I don't think it is."

"Why not?" Courtney asked. "Do you not think we have what it takes to stop Gideon?"

"It's not that I think we can't stop him." Nikki replied. "It's just that I don't think it's gonna be easy. I mean, we don't even know what he looks like, so how are we supposed to be able to stop him? This situation is totally different from the one we were in with McLean."

"I understand that, but you're making Gideon sound like he's unstoppable or something." Courtney said, trying to keep her voice calm.

"And you're making it sound like we can just walk up to him and convince him to stop." Nikki said. "But he's a killer. I somehow doubt we're gonna be able to talk him out of it."

"So what do you suggest we do then?" Courtney asked, with a dark glance at Nikki.

"I think we should lay low for awhile until we have a better understanding of what we're dealing with." Nikki replied.

"Oh that's a great plan." Courtney snapped. "And what happens when Gideon comes for us and we're not prepared to fight him?"

Nikki didn't have an answer to that, but Bridgette did. "I agree with Nikki." she said. "If we just charge in blindly the chances of getting killed are much higher. But if we wait, we may be able to gain some kind of advantage."

"Your plan makes sense in theory, but I still think sitting around isn't a good idea." Courtney said, with an understanding nod.

"Well, unfortunately for you this is not your decision to make." Bridgette said. "We will wait and prepare, understood?"

Courtney was silent a moment before responding. "Do what you want, but I'm not going to sit around and wait for him to kill me." she said, turning to leave.

"Courtney, don't you dare walk out that door." Bridgette shouted. "You are not going off on your own. I will not allow you to do it. I will not allow any of you to do anything stupid like that. We do this as a group, understand? We do it...as..." Her sentence trailed off as she collapsed onto the couch, her breath coming in short, painful gasps.

"Oh God, she's hyperventilating." Nikki cried, moving to help Bridgette.

Geoff got there first, taking Bridgette gently in his arms. "Bridgette." he said, his voice calm. "Bridgette look at me. Just breathe babe, just breathe. It's okay. Courtney's not going anywhere, none of us are."

Bridgette looked at him, her vision blurry as fought to keep from passing out. Her breathing was still rapid and uneven, but she was beginning to calm, much to Geoff's relief. Finally, after several more minutes of struggle, Bridgette calmed, her body relaxing in Geoff's arms.

"Someone get her some water." Geoff said, glancing around the room.

Gwen nodded and ran to the kitchen, returning seconds later with a glass of ice cold water from the filter pitcher they kept in the refrigerator. She handed the glass to Bridgette who took it with shaking hands. She took a sip, embracing the calm the water brought with it. She then glanced at Courtney, who was standing by the door, frozen in fear, a look of utter horror on her face.

"Bridgette, I...I'm sorry." she said, moving away from the door. "I never meant to upset you. You're right, I can't do this on my own and shouldn't try. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"It's okay Courtney." Bridgette said, her voice hoarse. "I understand why you don't want to just sit around and wait, but it's our best option right now. Like I said, charging in without being prepared is a certain death sentence. At least this way we might have a chance."

Courtney nodded and smiled. Bridgette could tell that she still wasn't satisfied with this plan, but she would not argue about it any more. Courtney understood that this was the best option and she would accept that, even if she didn't want to. With that issue settled the discussion turned to other matters, namely how to go about preparing for Gideon's arrival.

"It's a matter of determining what his strengths and weaknesses are." Chef said. "Once we do that, it should, theoretically, become easier to deal with him."

"There's only one problem with that approach." said Wyatt. "Which is, how do we remain hidden and gather intel on Gideon at the same time?"

"You leave that to us Wyatt." said Dr. McLellen. "Don't forget, the Kings and I have years of experience with this kind of thing, so we should have no problem gathering information while still remaining safe."

"Okay, if you think you can do it, then I have complete faith in you." Wyatt said.

"Your words are appreciated, if not all together necessary." said Ron. "In any case, we will do our best to find out what Gideon looks like."

"Wait a minute." said LeShawna. "Didn't Bridgette see Gideon on the news?"

"Yes, she did. I fail to see your point Miss Carter." said Ron.

"Well, if he was on the news, shouldn't there have been a picture of him?" LeShawna asked. "And if there was a picture, why do we need to go looking for him when we can just look up the news story on line?"

"It is likely that Gideon has changed his appearance, so the picture is not going to be accurate any more." said Chef. "He is a master of disguise, so even if the picture is accurate, he may not look like that because of a disguise."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense." LeShawna said, though she sounded like she was still confused. "I guess we have no other choice but to allow the Kings and Dr. McLellen to carry out their plan, even though it sounds insane."

"It may sound insane, but it's a good plan, when you think about it." said D.J.

LeShawna nodded and the Kings departed, followed by Dr. McLellen. The others remained for a while longer, before they too departed, leaving Bridgette, Geoff, Nikki, Gwen, and Lucy to contemplate everything they had discussed. It wasn't going to be easy, Nikki had been right about that, but at least they now had a somewhat solid plan for how to deal with Gideon. Bridgette hoped the Kings and Dr. McLellen were successful in their quest to find out exactly what Gideon looked like and she feared what could happen if they weren't. But she wouldn't let the fear control her, as it was out of her control to decide when the truth would be revealed. She had no choice now but to wait and hope for the best, not realizing Gideon had already chosen his next target.

* * *

Three days after the last meeting, Courtney returned home after a long day of work. She was exhausted and was looking forward to having a glass of wine and going to bed. She was still unhappy about the decision to wait and observe, but she had not voiced her opinions since the meeting. It was extremely frustrating to be confined like this and she wished Jen was still alive. Jen would have supported her and together they would have been able to sway the others to the side of action. Courtney had always been an active person and to sit around and wait for something to happen went against everything she believed in. But there was no use arguing and she knew it, so she would keep her mouth shut and hope the others came to their senses before it was too late.

Sighing, Courtney set her keys and purse down on the small table that sat in the entryway of her house and served as her place to deposit her things. She then entered the living room, turning on the lamp beside the couch, illuminating the room with bright, warm light.

"Hello Courtney." a deep, smooth voice said, making her jump. She spun towards the couch, finding a man sitting on one end, a crooked smile on his face.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, her tone defensive and demanding.

"What, you mean to tell me you don't know?" the man asked, cocking his head to one side.

"How would I know who you are?" Courtney demanded. "I've never seen you in my life."

"Are you certain of that?" the man asked. "Look closer."

Annoyed by his riddles, Courtney took a closer look at the man. He was tall and muscular, dressed all in black, with dark hair that was slicked back with gel. He had a short, pointed gotee and a mustache which gave him a slightly sinister look, as did the scar down his right cheek. She had to admit that he was handsome, but there was nothing about him that was familiar.

"No, I still don't recognize you." Courtney said. "Now please get out of my house."

"So polite." the man said, with a grin. "Even when you're standing before your end you never forget your manners, do you Courtney?"

"What are you talking about?" Courtney asked. "What do you mean I'm standing before my end?" She could feel her skin crawling as fear wormed its way into her mind.

"I mean, your life has reached its conclusion." the man answered. "I am your end."

It was then that the realization hit her, sucking the air from her lungs. "Oh God." she gasped. "You're him, aren't you? You're Gideon Hall."

The man smiled. "And we come to it at last." he said. "I am indeed Gideon Hall, the disciple of darkness."

"H-how did you get in here?" Courtney asked, fear beginning to overwhelm her. "And why do you call yourself the disciple of darkness?"

"The answers to those questions are not for you to know." Gideon said. "You are not the one I have chosen. You are merely a sacrifice, a means to an end."

With that he stood and lunged at Courtney, knocking her to the floor, his hands closing around her throat. Courtney choked as Gideon's hands clamped on to her like a vice, her hands reaching up to claw at his arms in an attempt to get free from his grasp. Gideon smiled as he glanced down at her, the familiar rush flooding his veins. Courtney's eyes were bulging in their sockets and her face was quickly purpling as he squeezed the air from her. Blood dribbled from her mouth as he crushed her larynx, cutting off her ability to speak.

Courtney lay beneath him, his weight crushing the air out of her. She could taste the blood in her mouth and felt her larynx pop. The room was spinning around her as she slipped towards unconsciousness, everything blurring together into a brilliant swirl of color. Her mind was blank as death took her and then she felt something touch her, like the hand of a friend, giving her the strength to kick out, her legs connecting with Gideon's crotch.

Gideon pulled back, clutching his crotch in pain and releasing his hold on Courtney. Coughing and gasping, Courtney rolled onto her stomach and began crawling towards the table where her purse was. Her phone was in her purse and she had to get it if she had any chance of surviving.

While Courtney was crawling across the floor, Gideon made his way over to the window. He grabbed the drawstring of Courtney's curtains, pulling a knife from his pocket. He then cut a section of the drawstring loose, smiling to himself as he did. Pocketing the knife, he wrapped the ends of the drawstring around his hands before lunging at Courtney again. Before she could even react, he looped the drawstring around her throat and pulled back with all his strength.

Courtney gasped and choked again, her right hand reaching up in a vain effort to pry the drawstring off her throat. Her left hand reached in vain for the strap of her purse, which dangled from the table. For a moment she struggled, gasping for air and then her body relaxed, her arms falling limp at her side. Gideon smiled and gently lowered Courtney to the floor. He pulled the drawstring away from her throat and dropped it beside her body, before leaning in to brush her hair out of her face. Her eyes were still open, blank and staring, and her mouth was agape, blood staining her lips red. She was obviously dead. Gideon had killed enough to know when a victim was dead and Courtney was most certainly dead. He smiled again and whispered, "I told you I was your end." With that he stood and walked out of her house without a backwards glance at her lifeless body.

**A/N: And so, Courtney joins the deceased. More importantly, we have now gotten our first true glimpse of Gideon Hall. But there are still mysteries that surround him, namely what are his plans and who is the person he has chosen? Also, for what reason has he chosen this person? To find out, you'll just have to keep reading.**


	11. Death is Coming

Shock and despair, those were the overriding emotions that gripped the group as they gathered at Bridgette's house four days after their last meeting. It had been approximately fifteen hours since Courtney had been killed and the group was just now learning about her death. It had been LeShawna who had found Courtney's body laying in a heap on the floor. LeShawna had come over to Courtney's house that morning to pick her up so they could go to breakfast together. She had found the front door unlocked and had walked in to find Courtney's body. LeShawna had known immediately that Courtney was dead and the entire group knew who had killed her, but this news was still a shock. They had all known that something like this was likely to happen, but none of them had been expecting Courtney to be the next victim.

"Man, I can't believe she's dead." Trent said, his tone sullen and hollow.

"I know what you mean dude." Jude said. "I thought for certain Courtney would be one of those who lasted the longest. She was so strong willed and I never even stopped to think that she'd be a target. I guess I just assumed she'd survive."

"Yeah, well, sometimes things don't work out the way we want them to." Owen said. "And I don't think just assuming anything is a good idea anymore. It's obvious we're all targets, so we need to stop assuming that any of us are safe."

"Gee Owen, thanks for making the mood even more depressing." Jonesy muttered.

"Fuck you." Owen snapped. "I'm just being realistic. What the fuck are you doing?"

Jonesy stood, his eyes burning, but Nikki shot him a warning glance. "Jonesy, sit down." she said. "This is not the time to fight with each other."

"But Owen was being so fucking depressing and I can't take it." Jonesy complained.

"Yeah, well, I don't give a shit." Nikki snapped. "Stop fighting or get fuck out of this house. We don't need any more negative shit than we already have and all your fighting is going to do is make things worse."

Jonesy stared at Nikki with a look of disbelief but said nothing. Ultimately he sat back down, though he continued to cast dark looks at Owen who just ignored him. Nikki watched them both for a few minutes to make sure they didn't start fighting, but ultimately turned her attention to other things content that they wouldn't fight.

While Nikki was busy keeping Jonesy and Owen from fighting, Bridgette was busy trying to comfort LeShawna who was nearly catatonic in her shock. It was never easy to be the one who found the body of someone you cared about and LeShawna had never experienced that before. Bridgette had and she was doing everything she could to help LeShawna work through this horror. It wasn't easy, but Bridgette had to get LeShawna out of her funk, lest the depression claim her the way it had claimed Katie. Fortunately Bridgette was not alone, as Gwen, Beth, and Geoff were trying to help LeShawna as well. But even their combined efforts were having little effect and it was beginning to seem like LeShawna was doomed to follow Katie's path.

"Come on LeShawna you can't keep dwelling on this." Bridgette said, a note of pleading in her voice this time.

"Why?" LeShawna asked. "Courtney is dead and I was the one who found her body, so why can't I keep dwelling on this?"

"Because it's not healthy." Gwen answered. "Staying depressed is not a good thing or do you want to end up like Katie?"

"Whoa, Gwen, take it down a notch." said Geoff, with a quick glance at Beth.

"Sorry." said Gwen. "I didn't mean it like that. All I meant was, do you really want to feel like this? Do you really want to be depressed?"

"No, I don't." LeShawna answered. "But how else am I supposed to feel? Courtney was good person and to know that she died in such a violent way makes me sick. What other emotions am I supposed to feel other than sadness and depression?"

"Look, no one is telling you not to be sad." Beth said. "We're all sad and we understand that this is even harder for you because you were the one who found her. But you need to channel that sadness into something else. Instead of dwelling on it and feeling hopeless, try using your sadness as motivation to stop Gideon."

"But what if he can't be stopped?" LeShawna asked. "What if he's just too good at killing for us to even have a chance?"

"You can't think like that." Bridgette said. "I know, better than most, what happens when you lose faith, when hope abandons you. But I rose above it and if I can, so can you. It won't be easy, but nothing in life ever truly is, so that's not a reason to give up. If we all work together I know we can stop Gideon before he kills us all, but all of us includes you LeShawna. We can't do it without you and I think you know that. So, what do you say? Do you think you can put this behind you and move forward or do we need to get you professional help?"

"No, I can do it." LeShawna answered, her tone confident. "I can do it and I will. I will use my sadness as motivation to stop Gideon before he can strike again."

"There's the LeShawna we all know and love." said Geoff, with a grin.

LeShawna grinned back and they moved to rejoin the others, who were glad to see that LeShawna had not succumbed to her sorrow. It would have been a major disaster to have another of their number commit suicide and to learn that LeShawna had been swayed from that path was one bright spot in this storm of darkness. But it wouldn't be enough to sustain the positive momentum and the group would soon find out just how cruel Gideon could be.

* * *

Two days after Courtney's murder Bridgette, Geoff, and Lucy went to the cafe near campus where they were meeting Heather and Lindsey for breakfast. Nikki, Gwen, Alejandro, and Tyler had all wanted to come but had been unable to for various reasons. The breakfast meeting had been arranged two days earlier and was meant to be nothing more than a casual meeting between friends. Nothing about Gideon was to be discussed at breakfast, but inevitably the topic came up.

"I still can't believe she's gone." Lindsey said, her voice full of sorrow.

"You're talking about Courtney, I assume?" Heather asked.

"Yes." Lindsey answered. "It really sucks that she had to die."

"She didn't have to die Linds." Heather said. "She was murdered. It's not like she chose the have her life end like that."

"I know that." Lindsey said, rolling her eyes. "What I meant was, it sucks that some sick bastard stole her life from her like that."

"I agree with you on that." Heather said. "It is really sad, but it pisses me off more than anything. I was really hoping things were going to be different this year and to know that McLean was right makes me want to scream."

"Yeah, I know how you feel." Bridgette said. "For the longest time I thought McLean had just been messing with me, or at least that's what I hoped. But he wasn't and now we have to go through all that shit again and I don't know why. That's the most frustrating part for me. If I could just understand why, maybe I wouldn't be so afraid. I mean, what is it that's making this all happen? Did we do something? Are we being punished for something we did? Or is there some other reason?"

"I don't know Bridgette, but one thing is certain, it's happening and we have only one option, stop Gideon or die." said Geoff.

"But there has to be a reason why this is happening." said Bridgette.

"Does there though." said Lucy. "Not all things happen for a discernible reason. This could all just be random. The pattern suggests that it's not, but maybe it is. I think trying to figure out the reasons why this is happening is a waste of time. We should be focusing on finding Gideon and stopping him, not why he's doing this."

"I guess you're right." Bridgette said. "I'd still like to know why though."

"We'd all like to know why, but Lucy is right." said Heather. "We can figure out the reasons once we've stopped Gideon." She placed a hand on Bridgette's shoulder as though she was trying to be comforting and added, "Have I mentioned how much I like Lucy?"

"Yes, you have." Bridgette answered. "You said something about how she was the grounded, less emotional side of me, the side you could talk to and not be confused." Her tone was not angry, but they could tell she wasn't trying to be funny either.

Still, Heather smiled and nodded. "Yes, but I will admit I've come to like your emotional side as well." she said. "Anyway, shall we go?"

"Yes, but where?" Bridgette asked, glancing from Heather to Lindsey.

"We were wondering if we could come over to your place for awhile." Lindsey answered.

"Sure, I'm okay with that." Bridgette answered, glancing at Geoff and Lucy who both nodded. "Nikki and Gwen aren't home at the moment, but you're welcome at our place any time you feel like dropping in."

"Thank you Bridgette." Heather said, rising to feet and reaching for her blind person's cane.

Bridgette smiled and nodded, and they left, Geoff having paid while they talked. They arrived at the house a short time later to find that Gwen was home.

"Gwen, what are you doing home?" Bridgette asked. "I thought you had class today."

"It got out early." Gwen answered. "How was breakfast?"

"Excellent." Heather answered. "I wish you could have joined us."

"You and me both." Gwen said. "I love the food at that cafe. Not to mention the fact that I'm fucking starving."

"Did you not eat before class?" Lindsey asked, glancing at Gwen.

"No, I woke up late so I didn't have time." Gwen answered, moving towards the kitchen.

"Oh, well you better-" Lindsey began, before her sentence was cut short by a frantic pounding on the front door.

"Who the hell is pounding on the door?" Gwen asked, glancing at Bridgette and Geoff.

"How should we know?" Geoff asked, with a shrug.

"You weren't expecting anyone, were you?" Heather asked.

"Not that I know of." Bridgette answered, glancing at Gwen, Geoff, and Lucy who all shook their heads. Sighing Bridgette moved to answer the door, opening it to find a visibly shaken Jude standing on the front porch.

"Jude, what's wrong?" Bridgette asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Have...have any of you seen Owen this morning?" Jude asked, gasping for air as though he had run all the way here.

"No, we haven't seen him." Bridgette answered. "Why do you ask?"

"He went out for a walk last night and didn't come home." Jude answered. "Starr and I have been calling him all morning, but we haven't gotten a response."

"Oh shit, you don't think Gideon got him, do you?" Geoff asked, glancing at Bridgette.

"Do you have a better explanation as to why Owen wouldn't have returned home?" Bridgette asked. "I mean, it's not exactly like Owen to just disappear. And even if he had gotten lost or something, I'm sure someone would have spotted him by now."

"She's got a point." Gwen said. "Owen's not exactly the hardest person to spot."

"Okay, so we have to assume Gideon got him." Geoff said. "There's just one thing missing from this equation though. If Gideon took Owen, why hasn't anyone found his body?"

"Maybe he's still alive bro." Jude said, his tone hopeful.

"That is a possibility." Bridgette said. "Not one I'd wager on, but it is a possibility."

"So what do we do now?" Lindsey asked, glancing around the room.

"We get a hold of the others and let them know what's going on and then we go looking for Owen." Bridgette answered.

"Agreed." said Geoff, already moving towards the door. "Someone should let the Kings know what's going on as well, and Dr. McLellen, if he's not busy."

Bridgette nodded and they set out, each of them whipping out their phones as they went.

* * *

A half hour later the group was gathered in an empty classroom in MacArthur Hall, home of the CSU sociology department. They had met here because it was convenient for Dr. McLellen, who had just finished teaching a class when Bridgette had called him. Everyone else had rushed over, dropping whatever it was they had been doing, all of them wanting to find Owen before it was too late, assuming it wasn't already. There was a palpable sense of fear among them and Bridgette was worried something bad would happen, but they had to push their fear aside if there was to be any hope of finding Owen. Fear was the mind killer, Chef had told them and to allow it to consume you was to give yourself over to destruction.

"So, here is how we're going to do this." Chef said, his deep voice echoing in the silent room. "We're going to split into teams and search for Owen. If you find him and Gideon is with him, you contact me, Ron, Coach, or Dr. McLellen, understood? If you find him alone, do what you can to help him and call 911, as he will likely be in bad shape after having been with Gideon. Is everyone clear on that?"

Everyone nodded and Chef returned the gesture. "All right, then let's move out." he said, moving towards the door. The others followed, dividing into teams once they were outside. Bridgette was joined by Geoff, Nikki, Gwen, and Lucy. The other teams were Alejandro, Tyler, Heather, and Lindsey, Jude, Starr, Wyatt, and Marlowe, Jonesy, Trent, and D.J., LeShawna, Beth, and Zeke, and the Kings and Dr. McLellen. They would begin by searching the campus, though none of them really expected to find Owen there. Still, they had to consider all possibilities and the campus was one of the most likely places Owen would be if hadn't been taken by Gideon.

For the next hour the search parties searched every part of the campus, looking in every classroom, bathroom, dorm building and anywhere else they could think to look. But there was no sign of Owen anywhere, much to their dismay. And then Bridgette's group would stumble across something that would point them in Owen's direction. As they left the dorm buildings Lucy noticed something that caught her attention. "Hey, do you guys see that?" she asked, glancing at the others.

"See what?" Nikki asked, turning to look at Lucy.

"That." Lucy said, pointing at a large group of people who were gathered around a large tree at the southern end of the campus.

"What the hell?" Geoff asked. "What are they doing?"

"There must be something in the tree." Bridgette said, her curiosity peaked.

"Let's go check it out." Lucy said, glancing at the others.

"Lucy, we need to find Owen." said Nikki. "We don't have time for detours."

"What if this is a clue that points us in the right direction?" Lucy asked.

"She's got a point." said Gwen. "I say we go check it out."

Nikki sighed. "Alright, fine, we'll go check it out, but if it's just a bunch of people staring at bird or something, I'm gonna be pissed."

Bridgette rolled her eyes, slightly amused by Nikki's exaggerated anger, and they headed towards the group of people gathered around the tree. As they approached Bridgette quickly realized it wasn't some simple bird the crowd was gazing at, but she couldn't quite make out what it was until she got closer. Still, it wasn't until they reached the base of the tree that Bridgette realized what everyone was staring at and the realization filled her with horror and sorrow, for there, hanging from the tree by heavy ropes tied around his wrists was Owen, his eyes blank and staring. He looked like he had been beaten and there were signs of other torture as well, but the thing that really made Bridgette's stomach turn was what Gideon had carved into the bare flesh of Owen's chest. There, in all capital letters, looking like it had been carved out with an acetylene torch were the words DEATH IS COMING!

Bridgette heard Geoff curse behind her, as well as Gwen and Nikki's horrified gasps. And then she felt her own tears as they rolled down her cheeks. Moments later she heard Alejandro's angry curse and the wail of sorrow from LeShawna. But she ignored them. All she could do was stare at Owen, her gaze taking in every horrible detail of what Gideon had done to him. She felt a twinge of joy knowing Izzy wasn't alive to see this. If Owen's reaction to Izzy's death had been any indication, Izzy's reaction to Owen's death would have been just as gut-wrenching to endure. It was bad enough to see Owen like this without Izzy's reaction and Bridgette knew that had Izzy been there it would have only been worse. It was then that she noticed an envelope tucked into the pocket of Owen's shorts. Curious, she moved forward, reaching up towards Owen as she did. To her immense relief, the envelope was in reach and she pulled it down with trembling fingers. Then, without waiting for the others to join her, she tore the envelope open and pulled out the letter within, reading it with a fevered anticipation.

_This is your last warning Bridgette,_ the letter said. _From here on out I am serious. These three murders were just warnings, a way to get your attention. Now that I have it, the real fun can begin. Prepare yourself Bridgette, for death truly is coming._

**A/N: Yes, death is indeed coming. This may seem confusing, as technically death has already arrived, but as Gideon's letter said, these first three murders were just warnings. They were the lead up to, as Gideon puts it, "the real fun." So get ready, cuz the deaths are going to start coming in droves from here on out. Also, there seems to have been some confusion regarding the previous chapter, specifically why Courtney didn't just run away. I think the assumption was that Gideon snuck in behind her but what actually happened was, Gideon broke into her house hours before she got home, using the back door as his means of entrance. Sorry for the confusion on that. Finally, I am going on vacation this weekend, so don't expect any updates until the middle of next week.**


	12. Passion and Sin

"Oh man, I can't believe he's dead." Jonesy said. "I was such an ass to him at our last meeting and I never apologized to him for that. And now I'll never get the chance." His tone was thick with sadness and he wasn't the only one who felt it.

It had been a little over two hours since Bridgette had found Owen's body hanging from a tree on campus, the words death is coming carved into his flesh and in that time the group had learned that Gideon had just been playing with them so far. The murders of Justin, Courtney, and now Owen, had simply been warnings of the greater hell that was still to come and this fact made the group more than a little uneasy. But their feelings of unease were nothing compared to their feelings of sorrow. Owen had been the heart of the group and to lose him in such a brutal and merciless fashion was more than any of them could bare. Bridgette's sentiment about Izzy's absence was shared by many of the others who agreed that had Izzy been alive to witness this it would have only made the situation worse. And that was something they didn't need, as it was hard enough to accept Owen's death without Izzy's reaction which would have no doubt been extremely painful to endure.

Jonesy's reaction was bad enough. It had only been two days earlier that Jonesy had snapped at Owen for bringing up depressing topics. They had not spoken to each other since then and everyone could tell Jonesy regretted the exchange now. He had wanted to apologize for his words and actions, but had been unable to work up the confidence to confront Owen and now it was too late. He would never get the chance to apologize and that knowledge was tearing him apart.

"Jonesy, you can't blame yourself." Nikki said, her tone comforting. "You had no way of knowing that Owen was the next target and he wouldn't want you to spend the rest of your life feeling guilty for something that isn't your fault."

Jonesy glanced at her, his look disbelieving. "How do you know that?" he asked, his tone dead and leaden. "How do you know what Owen would have wanted?"

"I just do." Nikki said. "I can't explain it, but I just have a feeling that he wouldn't want you to bare the burden of guilt for something you didn't do."

"Maybe I want to bare it." Jonesy said, his tone defiant now. "Maybe I deserve to bare it. I shouldn't have been such an ass to him. He was out there alone because of me and should have to carry the burden of that truth for the rest of my life."

"Dude no, don't say that." Jude said. "Nikki is right bro, it's not your fault and you shouldn't have to carry the burden."

"But I have to." Jonesy said, his voice cracking. "I have to." He then dissolved into tears, his whole body shaking as he tried to regain control. Silently Nikki moved to comfort him, wrapping her arms around him in a loving embrace. It was something none of them had thought they would see again, as Nikki and Jonesy's relationship had ended months ago, but it was clear that past feelings meant nothing now for sometimes people just need a shoulder to cry on regardless of what has happened between those two people in the past. For their part the others were content to let Nikki comfort Jonesy and many of them hoped this rekindled their relationship as the group needed a little bit of positivity in their ever darkening lives.

Unfortunately, whatever light may have been granted by the apparent rekindling of Nikki and Jonesy's relationship would soon be dimmed by Gideon's next play, as he had a particularly sinister plan in mind, one that would help break the group for good. Still, the tiny bit of light granted by Nikki and Jonesy's reborn relationship would be enough to sustain the group for a few days until Gideon put his next plan into action.

* * *

Four days after Owen's demise Wyatt found himself in the kitchen of the apartment he shared with Marlowe. He was in the middle of preparing a surprise picnic dinner for the two of them, which was part of his larger plan to take Marlowe's mind off of the horrible things that were happening. Marlowe had been having nightmares since Justin's murder and Wyatt hated seeing her so troubled so he had decided to distract her. He had intended to put this plan into action sooner, but the shock of losing Courtney and Owen had forced him to wait. But now he was ready to put his plan into action and he hoped Marlowe liked it. Truth be told, Wyatt had another reason for wanting a romantic evening with Marlowe, a reason that was much more personal than helping her forget about recent events. Wyatt knew his reasons were a little selfish, given everything that had happened, but he couldn't take it any longer. It had been more than a month since he and Marlowe had been intimate with each other and Wyatt was beginning to get nervous. They had never gone this long without having sex and Wyatt was worried Marlowe was pulling away from him, which he knew was stupid, especially given all that had happened, but he couldn't help feeling like something wasn't right between them. So he was planning a romantic evening and by the end of it he'd know one way or the other how Marlowe felt.

At that moment Marlowe entered the apartment, dropping her bag on the couch with an exhausted sigh. She had been in class all day and was looking forward to relaxing for a while until she and Wyatt got together with Trent for band practice. It was then that she noticed Wyatt, who was smiling at her, the kind of smile he gave when he was hiding something.

"Alright, what's going on here Wyatt?" Marlowe asked, her tone suspicious.

"I'm just making a little meal." Wyatt answered, deciding it was best not to lie. "I thought we could go to the park for a nice picnic dinner."

"We have band practice tonight." Marlowe said. "We can't just blow Trent off."

"I already called Trent and told him we'd be missing practice tonight." Wyatt answered. "He seemed to understand."

"Okay, what if I told you I didn't feel up to it?" Marlowe asked.

"I would ask why." Wyatt answered. "Come on Marlowe, it's been a long time since we did anything for ourselves, don't you think we deserve this?"

"Well, first of all, there's been a lot of horrible things going on lately, in case you haven't noticed." Marlowe said. "And second of all, do you really think we should be going off on our own when there's a killer out there who wants us dead?"

"You make a good point, but to answer your question, yes, I do think we should be going off on our own." Wyatt answered. "We need something to take our minds off of all that's been happening and I think this is it."

Marlowe took a moment to consider his words. On the one hand what he was saying made perfect sense. They did need something to take their mind off of recent events and a romantic evening together would likely do the trick. But on the other hand, going off alone was dangerous and Marlowe was certain Wyatt hadn't taken into consideration just how dangerous it could be. However, his argument was compelling and she ultimately decided to go along with his plan.

"Okay Wyatt, we'll go to the park." Marlowe said, grinning at his look of relief. "But if anything seems out of place we head right home, understood?"

Wyatt nodded and they set off for the park, the same park where Justin had been playing basketball before he was killed. Both of them were well aware of this fact, but Wyatt didn't seem to be worried which helped calm Marlowe's nerves as well. She had to admit that this was nice of Wyatt, to think of something so nice despite the darkness that surrounded them. And it had been a while since they'd had sex, though Marlowe wasn't keen on doing that in the park. Still, this romantic dinner could certainly set the mood for later in the evening and Marlowe sincerely hoped it did.

They chose a spot beneath a large oak tree which sat at the far southern end of the park. Wyatt spread a blanket out on the ground and sat with his back to the south. Marlowe sat facing him, the picnic basket between them, a smile on her face. Wyatt smiled back and opened the basket, producing a pair of sandwiches, two apples, and a bottle of wine from within.

"Ooh, wine." Marlowe said, smiling. "Where'd you get that?"

"I have my sources." Wyatt said, his tone mysterious.

"Oh really?" Marlowe asked. "And who would these sources be, prey tell?"

"Nope, it's a secret." Wyatt said, with a wicked grin. "Get me drunk enough and I might tell you though."

"Whatever." Marlowe muttered. "Let's just eat and then we'll see how secretive you are."

Wyatt grinned again and they both reached for their sandwiches. For the next several minutes they ate in silence, staring at each other with looks of longing. And then, before Wyatt knew what was happening Marlowe was on top of him, her hands moving to pull off his shirt. Taken up in the suddenness of the moment Wyatt surrendered to her passion and then he brought his own. His hands went to her hips, his finger digging into the waist of her jeans. He pulled her jeans down to her ankles, but left her underwear on, not wanting to reveal her in public, though there was no one else in the park to see them. She pressed her lips against his then, forcing all other thoughts from his mind and for a moment they were one being, entwined in passion and sin. And then Marlowe froze, her body going motionless against his.

Wyatt pulled back and stared at her, noticing that her expression was one of fear. "Marlowe, what is it?" he asked. "Why did you stop?"

"I thought I heard something." she answered, her voice barely a whisper.

Wyatt sat up, Marlowe sliding off of him, and turned his head, his ears straining to hear something other than the rapid beating of his own heart. But there was nothing, they were alone and the only sounds were their breathing. "I don't hear anything." he said, pulling her closer to him.

Marlowe, however, pulled away, shaking her head. Her eyes were wide with fear and it was obvious that she was aware of something that Wyatt wasn't. "No, there was a noise, I swear I heard it." she said, a note of pleading in her voice.

"Marlowe, there's no one there." Wyatt said. "We're alone, I promise."

No sooner had these words escaped his mouth when something lunged out of the shadows, knocking Wyatt on his back. Marlowe screamed and Wyatt rolled onto his hands and knees in time to catch sight of a tall man with a pointed gotee and a scar on his right cheek. The man smiled and Wyatt suddenly realized, with a rush of pure terror who the man was. But before he could voice his fears, the man brought a large knife up from his hip and slashed at Wyatt's throat. Blood sprayed from the gash as the knife sliced through Wyatt's flesh, making Marlowe scream again. Wyatt slumped back, his eyes rolling in their sockets as he tried to focus on Marlowe, finally succeeding in doing so just as the man drove his knife into Wyatt's stomach.

"M-Marlowe...r-run." Wyatt gasped. "Run, please run." His eyes rolled back then as death took him and Marlowe ran before the man could stop her.

Marlowe ran back the way they had come, her breath coming in short, painful gasps. Tears stung her eyes, but she did not look back. Wyatt was dead and his killer was still out there, though he did not seem to be pursuing her. And then, to her horror, she heard his voice call out, his tone mocking.

"Come on Marlowe, why are you running?" the man called. "Don't you want to face me? Surely you know who am?"

"No, I will not face you." Marlowe shouted back. "I will not play your games Gideon." She saw a tall tree ahead of her then and ran for it, hoping to find sanctuary in its branches.

"Oh, but you will play my games Marlowe." Gideon shouted. "You will, because it is your destiny to die this day."

His voice was right behind her now and she felt his hand close around her hair as she tried to climb the tree. He yanked her back down, pain shooting up her spine as she hit the ground. And then she felt the sharp, burning pain as his knife tore through her flesh just beneath her ribs. She gasped in pain and twisted in his grasp, trying to get free but he was too strong for her.

"No, please God no." she pleaded, her voice trembling with fear.

"It is too late to beg." Gideon said, a twisted grin on his face as he drove the knife into her chest, then her stomach and finally her throat. Marlowe choked as blood came rushing from her mouth, and then everything went dark, her final sensation the sound of her dying breath. Gideon dropped her on the ground and smiled, before disappearing into the shadows.

* * *

The next morning, oblivious to Wyatt and Marlowe's fate, Lindsey found herself at the store, shopping for groceries. As she perused the aisles she caught a glimpse of a man with a dark pointed gotee, who was watching her with a look of anticipation. She was used to this though and paid the man no mind until he approached her.

"Hello, can I help you with something?" Lindsey asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Yeah, you can help me with your name." the man answered, a smile crossing his face.

"My name is Lindsey Peterson." Lindsey answered. "But I don't see how that's any of your business. So, what do you want from me?"

"My name is Anthony Giles and I was wondering if you like roses?" the man answered.

Lindsey cocked her head to the side, honestly confused by what was happening. It wasn't unusual for men to come up and hit on her, but no one had asked her if she liked roses. Not even Tyler had asked her that question before. This man, Anthony he said his name was, seemed more than a little suspicious, but Lindsey couldn't help but admit that she did like roses and she found herself making this admission out loud, despite her efforts not to.

"Excellent." Anthony said, with another smile. "Then may I present you with this?" Before Lindsey could answer he handed her a single red rose, it's beauty taking the breath from her lungs.

"Th-thank you." she stammered, struggling to compose herself.

"You are most certainly welcome, Miss Peterson." Anthony said. "A woman as beautiful as yourself deserves to have whatever she desires."

Lindsey flushed, but before she could answer Alejandro and Heather appeared beside her, both of them looking stricken. Lindsey stared at them in surprise, taken aback by their sorrowful looks.

"Lindsey, we need to go." Alejandro said, his voice hollow.

"What's happened?" Lindsey asked, glancing at Alejandro for a second before looking back at Anthony, who looked just as confused as she felt.

"Wyatt and Marlowe were murdered last night." Heather answered. "Their bodies were found in the park near our house early this morning."

"Oh God." Lindsey said, her voice nearly a wail. She glanced at Anthony again and said, "Please excuse me, I'm afraid I must go."

Anthony gave an understanding nod and Lindsey left with Heather and Alejandro, leaving Anthony to watch them with curiosity. As they walked out of the store Lindsey felt a great weight settle in her chest, but she could not help glancing back at Anthony, wondering who he was and why he had given her the rose.

**A/N: Well, I'm back folks. Sorry it took so long. I was supposed to update last week when I got back from vacation, but I had classwork to catch up on so I wasn't able to find the time. Anyway, I'm back now and yes, things are getting even worse. Wyatt and Marlowe have now joined the deceased and Gideon is getting more ambitious in his planning. I realize the chapter was a little chaotic with all the shifts in perspective, but I was setting up for what happens next, the last bit with Lindsey being particularly important for the next chapter, although you'll have to wait to find out exactly what that means.**


	13. A Poisonous Affair

Twenty minutes after leaving the store Lindsey, Heather, and Alejandro arrived at Bridgette's house. They had not spoken on the trip there as they were all too shocked to think of anything to say. Lindsey was grateful for this, as the silence meant she wasn't being questioned about Anthony either. She wasn't sure why this was comforting, but it was, perhaps because she felt like now wasn't the time to try and explain herself. Not that she really felt like an explanation was necessary, it wasn't like she had actually done anything with Anthony. He had simply offered her a rose and told her she was beautiful which wasn't a strange occurrence. Still, she couldn't help feeling like there was something weird about Anthony, though she couldn't quite figure out what. Ultimately, Lindsey decided she would worry about Anthony later as she had more pressing concerns at the moment.

Lindsey, Heather, and Alejandro entered the house to find the others already gathered and waiting. The familiar sense of loss and sorrow hung thick in the air and Lindsey was almost certain she could actually see the cloud. She could also feel the eyes on her as she took a seat beside Tyler and realized a moment too late that she was still holding the rose. Tyler gave her a curious glance, but no one asked her where the rose had come from, for which she was extremely grateful. It seemed the others were too distraught over Wyatt and Marlowe's murders to spare the rose a second thought, though Lindsey knew they would ask her about it eventually. But for now their attention was focused on the latest round of Gideon's evil game.

"Damn that twisted bastard." Trent spat, his tone full of rage. "I mean, I knew he wouldn't be easy to stop, but to learn that he killed Wyatt and Marlowe while they were in the middle of a date really pisses me off."

"I know what you mean bro." Jude said, with a sympathetic nod.

It was no secret that Trent had been close with Wyatt and Marlowe and his anger was understandable. He and Wyatt had been friends for years and had founded their band, the T.W. Express, together. Marlowe had also been a member of the Express and everyone in the room knew the band was finished now that Wyatt and Marlowe were gone.

"What are we going to do now?" Trent asked, his tone suddenly hollow. "How are we supposed to stop a man like Gideon when he's always ten steps ahead of us?"

"I don't know Trent, but we'll figure it out." Gwen answered. "We found a way to stop McLean and we'll find a way to stop Gideon as well."

"How can you be so certain?" Trent asked. "How do you know we didn't just get lucky with McLean? How do you know Gideon won't just kill us all while we fumble in the dark for the fucking answers?"

"You can't think like that Trent." Gwen said, trying to convey sympathy. "We will find a way to stop Gideon. I don't know how I know that, but I do. We can't give up hope, not now, not ever."

"Well said Gwen." said Chef. He glanced at Trent before adding, "She is right you know. We can't give up hope, because if we do then we've already lost."

Trent nodded, though he still seemed uncertain. However, he chose to remain silent and let the hope, however little of it there was, fuel their desire for revenge. Gwen and Chef were right after all, they hadn't lost yet and to lose hope now would doom them all.

With the matter of Trent's faith settled and the group unwilling to dwell on the loss of Wyatt and Marlowe any longer, Tyler finally turned his attention towards Lindsey and her rose.

"So, where did you get the rose Linds?" he asked, his tone betraying no hint of suspicion.

"A man at the store gave it to me." Lindsey answered, deciding it was best not to lie.

"A man at the store gave it to you?" Bridgette asked, her tone disbelieving.

"Yes, what's wrong with that?" Lindsey asked, her tone suddenly defensive.

"What's wrong with some man giving you a rose?" Bridgette asked. "Are you serious right now Lindsey? There's a whole list of things wrong with that, not the least of which is the fact that we have a twisted killer after us."

"It couldn't have been Gideon." Lindsey said, anger starting to rise in her now.

"How do you know that for sure?" Bridgette asked. "We don't know what the fucker looks like. For all we know it was him, which likely means you're his next target."

"He said his name was Anthony Giles." Lindsey said. "That's how I know he wasn't fucking Gideon."

"Oh really and it never crossed your mind that Gideon might use a false identity to get close to us?" Bridgette asked.

"No, it didn't." Lindsey admitted. "But it doesn't matter. It wasn't Gideon and I'm not going to let you convince me otherwise." With that, she turned and marched out of the house without a backwards glance leaving the others to wonder what had really happened at the store.

* * *

The next morning Lindsey awoke to find a heart shaped letter and another rose tapped to the outside of her bedroom window. Curious, she slid out of bed and made her way outside to retrieve the note. She reentered the house before reading the letter, which was from Anthony and said, _Can't stop thinking about you. Just wondering if you want to meet for lunch today._ Lindsey smiled and tucked the note into her pocket before dialing the phone number Anthony had included at the end of the note.

He answered on the third ring. "Hello?" he asked. "May I ask who is calling?"

"It's Lindsey." Lindsey answered. "I got your note and I was calling to say yes, I will go to lunch with you today."

"Excellent." Anthony said. "Meet me in the park near your house at noon."

"Okay, see you at noon." Lindsey said before hanging up. Smiling to herself, she turned towards her closet just as there was a knock on her door. "Damn it." she muttered, turning towards the door with a sigh.

"Lindsey?" Heather's voice asked. "Who were you talking to in there?"

"It was nothing." Lindsey lied as she opened the door. "I was talking to one of my professors, nothing important."

"I heard you say something about meeting someone at noon." Heather said, her tone concerned.

"Like I said, it was one of my professors." Lindsey said. "I'm meeting with him to discuss a grade on a test."

"Okay, I hope it goes well." Heather said, smiling as they made their way to the kitchen for some breakfast. Lindsey said a silent prayer of thanks and followed Heather, deciding to eat before she got dressed.

Tyler and Alejandro were already in the kitchen when the girls arrived and Lindsey gave them both a warm smile. She had spent the previous night isolated in her room and hadn't spoken to them since leaving Bridgette's house. They seemed to have forgotten about this though, for Tyler greeted her smile with a kiss, making her insides squirm. He didn't seem to notice her internal struggle though and Lindsey hoped she could keep it that way. She didn't relish the thought of betraying Tyler like this, but there was something about Anthony that made her want to be with him despite her prior commitments. And as long as Tyler didn't find out she would be okay or at least okay enough to justify having lunch with Anthony.

Lindsey left the house a few hours later, heading for the park where Anthony had asked to meet. It was the same park where Wyatt and Marlowe had just been killed and this fact made Lindsey a little apprehensive, but she was convinced there was no danger. She was sure that if Gideon did show up Anthony would protect her and so she pushed her fear aside. She spotted Anthony immediately and made her way over to him, a smile on her face. He returned her smile and offered her his arm, which she took with a gracious nod.

"You look beautiful Lindsey." Anthony said, his eyes traveling down her body.

"Thank you." she said, glancing down at herself. She had dressed in jeans and a long sleeved shirt with a V-cut neckline that exposed just a bit of her cleavage. All together it wasn't her best choice of an outfit, but until she was certain what was going on between her and Anthony she didn't want to give too much away. Still, he seemed to like it and that fact made her feel warm inside.

"So, where are we going for lunch?" she asked, glancing at him.

"Anywhere you want." he answered. "It's my treat."

Lindsey thought for a minute and then made her choice. "Well, there is this little Italian place downtown I've been wanting to try for a while. Could we go there?"

"Certainly." Anthony answered. "Italian food is some of my favorite."

Lindsey smiled and they set off, taking Anthony's car. They arrived downtown a short while later and made their way into the restaurant where they were seated near the back at Lindsey's request. She was worried that one of her friends would see them if they sat near the window, though in all reality it was unlikely any of the others would be downtown at this time of day. Still, Lindsey wanted to avoid any possibility of being seen and so they would sit at the back, something that did not seem to bother Anthony in the least.

Once they had ordered, Lindsey asked the one question that had been eating away at the back of her mind since the previous day. "Okay, so, I have to ask." she said. "Why did you come up to me at the store yesterday?"

"I saw how beautiful you were and I thought I'd try my luck." Anthony answered. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that, well, I already have a boyfriend and he kind of saw the rose you gave me yesterday." Lindsey answered. "Also, there's this killer after me and my friends and when I told them about you they thought you might be that killer, so I just wanted to make sure."

"Well, I appreciate your honesty and I assure you I am no killer." Anthony said, with a smile. "And as for your boyfriend, I have no intention of stealing you from him. I must admit I like you, but if you'd prefer to stay with him I will accept your decision and leave you to enjoy your relationship."

"I'm afraid you misunderstood me." Lindsey said. "I said I have a boyfriend, but I never said anything about not having a relationship with you. I like you too and quite frankly I could use another man in my life. Tyler, well, let's just say things haven't been as fun as they used to be with him. I still love him, but I think I'd like to try this for awhile, just to see how it works."

"I'm willing to try it if you are." Anthony said, a gleam in his eye. "But I agree with your assessment that we should keep this a secret."

"Okay, let's do this then." Lindsey said. "Let's begin our affair."

Anthony smiled and placed a small black box on the table, his eyes meeting Lindsey's as he did so. She stared at him and then at the box before asking, "What's this?"

"Just something to consecrate our affair." Anthony answered. He slid the box towards her and she took it with trembling hands.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Lindsey opened the box, finding a pair of diamond earrings within. Her breath caught in her chest and she looked up at Anthony, who was smiling.

"They...they're beautiful." she said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Anthony said. "And there's more to come, anything to strengthen our bonds of love."

* * *

Anthony's promise of more gifts turned out to be more than Lindsey could have ever expected. Over the next several days Anthony sent her a diamond necklace to go with her earrings, two boxes of chocolate, numerous love letters, a bottle of wine, and several more roses. But it was the gift that arrived six days after their lunch date that really took Lindsey's breath away. She awoke that morning to find yet another box waiting for her on the porch. Knowing it was from Anthony she took it to her room before opening it, finding a diamond studded tiara within. The sight of the tiara made Lindsey gasp, for she had never seen something so beautiful before. Indeed she had never even dreamed she would own something so beautiful, and yet here it was just begging to be worn. But Lindsey couldn't wear it, not yet. She couldn't risk Tyler finding it and so she would wait until the next time she and Anthony met and then she would wear it, for he would appreciate it more than Tyler ever could. Slightly depressed by this thought Lindsey moved to hide the tiara with her other gifts, but a knock at the door made her freeze.

"Who is it?" she asked, hoping it wasn't Tyler.

"It's Heather." Heather's voice answered. "We need to talk."

"I'm a little busy at the moment." Lindsey said. "Can we talk later?"

"No, we need to do this now." Heather said, in that commanding tone Lindsey hated.

Lindsey sighed and moved to open the door, not bothering to hide the tiara. It wasn't like Heather could see it anyway, for which Lindsey was grateful. She led Heather into the room and then turned to face her friend before asking, "Okay, so, what's so important that we have to talk now?"

"Where have you been getting all these gifts?" Heather asked.

Lindsey froze, her blood going cold. How the hell did Heather know about the gifts? She couldn't see them and even if she could Lindsey had done an excellent job if hiding them. So how had Heather figured out the truth? Perhaps she had another means of gathering information. Yes, that had to be it. Heather had always been a manipulative person and Lindsey was certain Heather was more than capable of getting someone else to gather information for her. The only question was who, but Lindsey decided not to show her suspicions and answered Heather's question with one of her own, "What gifts? What are you talking about?"

"Don't lie to me Lindsey." Heather said, her tone venomous. "I know you're hiding a cache of gifts in here and I want to know where they came from."

"I'm not hiding anything." Lindsey said, her tone defensive. "I don't know where this absurd notion of yours came from Heather, but you should really consider entering therapy. You're sounding pretty paranoid to me."

"I'm sounding paranoid, am I?" Heather said. "Well maybe that's because I have a good reason to be. You've been acting very suspicious ever since you met that Anthony guy and I think you're hiding something from the rest of us."

"Oh yeah, well fucking prove it then." Lindsey spat, anger coursing through her veins.

"Gladly." Heather said. With that she lunged towards Lindsey and grabbed the tiara out of Lindsey's hand. She moved so fast that for a second Lindsey was too stunned to react and that second was enough for Heather to learn everything she needed to know. "Well, well, what's this then?" she asked. "Feels like a tiara to me. Now where would you have gotten a tiara Lindsey?"

Lindsey stared at Heather, horror-struck, before regaining her composure. "I've had that for a while now. My dad got it for me." she said, knowing Heather could see through the lie.

"Bullshit." Heather said, her blank gaze rising to meet Lindsey's. "I've known you for years and your dad has never bought you a tiara. He's bought you many things, but never a tiara, so tell me where did this one come from?"

Sensing she was beaten Lindsey decided to tell the truth. "It...it came from Anthony." she said, hanging her head in shame.

"You've been seeing him, haven't you?" Heather asked. There was no accusation in her tone, but it still sounded like one to Lindsey.

"Yes, but only twice." Lindsey answered. She had met Anthony for lunch the previous day to thank him for his gifts. "I can't help it Heather, there's just something about him that draws me in."

"That's because he's Gideon." Heather said, trying not upset Lindsey further.

"Oh don't start with that again." Lindsey said, rolling her eyes. "Anthony is not Gideon Hall. I heard enough of that shit from Bridgette."

"I know you did." Heather said. "But think about it Linds, why else would Anthony be trying so hard if he knows you're already in a relationship?"

"Maybe he just likes me." Lindsey said. "You should know how that feels. I mean, how many guys hit on us when we were in high school? Even after we had committed to Tyler and Alejandro guys still hit on us. How do you know that isn't the case with Anthony?"

"She doesn't, but think about it." Tyler said, as he entered the room. "What Heather is saying makes sense. There are other reasons Anthony is after you."

"Tyler!" Lindsey yelped. "What are you doing here?"

"I was coming to get you for breakfast and I couldn't help overhearing your conversation." Tyler answered. "What were you thinking Lindsey? Did you really think we wouldn't find out?"

Lindsey didn't know how to answer that question. She had hoped they wouldn't find out, especially Tyler, but she was certain that some part of her had been aware that this would happen. She had known from the beginning that they would find out the truth and now that they had she had no explanations for her actions.

"He's not Gideon." she heard herself say, the tears beginning to fall. "He's not, I swear he's not. I'd know if he was."

Heather and Tyler did not respond to that, but Tyler moved forwards and took Lindsey's trembling body into his arms. "Even if Anthony isn't Gideon, this has to stop Lindsey." he said, his tone oddly comforting. "You can't keep seeing him, it's too dangerous."

Lindsey pulled away from him at these words, too upset to answer. The look in his eyes was one of concern mixed with comfort and Lindsey found herself wanting to look away. But something about Tyler's look held her gaze and she found herself agreeing with him. "Okay." she whispered. "I'll stop seeing Anthony. Just, let me meet with him one last time so I can tell him in person that it's over."

Tyler smiled and nodded. "Okay, I'll let you tell him in person." he said.

"Thank you." Lindsey said, wiping tears from her eyes. "I'll tell him tomorrow."

Tyler nodded, and he and Heather left, leaving Lindsey to think about how she was going to break things off with Anthony.

* * *

The next day Lindsey met with Anthony in the park, intent on telling him they were done. But she found she wasn't able to get the words to come out no matter how hard she tried. Anthony seemed to sense she was trying to tell him something and he finally asked her what was wrong. Lindsey didn't immediately answer his question, causing Anthony to become concerned.

"Come on Lindsey, talk to me." he said. "Whatever it is you can tell me."

"They know." Lindsey said. "Tyler and Heather know about our affair. I don't know how they found out, but they did."

"So?" Anthony said. "I don't see how that's a problem."

"They want me to break up with you." Lindsey said. "That's why I called and asked to meet with you today."

"I see." Anthony said, his tone betraying no hint of surprise. "And what do you want?"

"I want to keep seeing you." Lindsey answered. "I like spending time with you and I enjoy the gifts, but I can't keep hiding the truth from my friends."

"Then don't." Anthony said. "It's your life Lindsey. If you want to keep seeing me, then keep seeing me. Don't let your friends control your life. You can make your own choices and if this is what you want then do it and let them deal with their issues on their own."

Lindsey smiled and nodded. "Okay, we'll stay together." she said, failing to notice the smile that split Anthony's face at these words. "We'll stay together and my friends can just accept it or not, I don't really care."

"That's my girl." Anthony said. "Now come on, there's something I want to show you."

Intrigued Lindsey followed him to his car and twenty minutes later they were pulling into the parking lot of another park. This park was at the edge of town and looked more like wilderness than any of the other parks Lindsey had visited.

"What is this place?" she asked, her tone one of awe.

"It's a nature preserve operated by the city of Fort Columbus." Anthony answered. "I used to come here all the time as a kid and I wanted to show it to you."

"It's beautiful." Lindsey said, staring at the brilliantly colored flowers growing all around them. "I've never seen a more beautiful park in all my life."

"Trust me it gets better." Anthony said, as he took her hand and led her deeper into the park, finally stopping when they reached a clearing beside a swift moving stream.

The sight that greeted them took the breath from Lindsey's lungs. There, its cascading waters shimmering in the sunlight, was a large waterfall that plunged some two hundred feet from the cliffs above. For a moment Lindsey simply stared at the waterfall in awe and then Anthony's voice brought her back to reality.

"There's a cave behind the waterfall." he said. "I thought we could explore it together."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Lindsey asked, hearing Tyler's voice in the back of her mind.

"Don't worry, I've done this before." Anthony said. "It's perfectly safe."

Lindsey nodded and Anthony smiled before taking her hand. With a quick jerk he led her through the cascade and into the mouth of the cave. They spent the next ten minutes climbing up the jagged rocks behind the waterfall until they entered the cave proper. Again, Lindsey had to pause to admire the beauty of the place, taking particular note of the crystals that clung to the walls of the cave, glittering like Christmas lights. Her admiration was cut short by Anthony's breath on the back of her neck and before she knew what was happening he had spun her onto her back and was pulling off her jeans. Lindsey surrendered to the moment and they spent the next hour engaged in the best sex Lindsey had ever had in her life.

When the sex finally came to an end Lindsey lay on the smooth stone breathing heavily, her mind and heart racing as she relived the experience. Droplets of water clung to her naked body like diamonds and for a moment she wished they could stay in the cave forever. But she knew they couldn't and before she knew it they were back in Anthony's car. He glanced at her and smiled before asking, "I was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner tomorrow night?"

"Certainly." she answered. "I would love to. Where will we be dining?"

"At my house." Anthony answered. "It's another place I want you to see."

"Sounds good to me, I'll see you then." Lindsey said before getting out of the car. They were back at the park near her house and she was positively shaking with excitement, emotion she had to quell before returning home, lest Tyler and Heather become suspicious again.

* * *

The next morning Lindsey awoke to find another package for her, this one much larger than the others she had received. Again she took it to her room before opening it, though she was the only one at home, the others having left for class an hour earlier. She tore the package open to find a beautiful red dress within, along with a smaller box and a note from Anthony. She opened the smaller box first, finding a pearl necklace and pearl earrings within, which made her gasp in surprise. She then turned her attention to the note which read, _Lindsey, these are for you. I would be delighted if you'd wear them to dinner tonight. With love, Anthony_. Lindsey smiled at the note and pulled the dress from the box before laying it out on her bed. She had only worn a dress like this two other times in her life, her junior and senior proms, and she took a moment to admire its beauty before stashing it in her closet along with the necklace and earrings. It pained her that Tyler would never get to see her in the dress, but she couldn't show him as doing so would let him know that she hadn't broken things off with Anthony. And that was something she could not afford, not now when she was so close to having a romantic evening with him.

Getting to that evening would be problematic, but Lindsey had figured out a way to sneak out without arousing her friends suspicions. Her efforts would be helped by the fact that Heather had class that evening and Tyler had to work which left Alejandro as her only obstacle. However, Lindsey was smarter than most people gave her credit for and she was sure she could get around Alejandro without too much difficulty. As it would turn out Alejandro proved to be less of an obstacle than Lindsey had anticipated. Around five that evening, just after Heather had left for class, Alejandro popped into Lindsey's room to tell her that he was going out to play video games with Trent, Jonesy, Jude, Geoff, and D.J. Lindsey assured him that she would be at home working on homework and Alejandro left, paving the way to Lindsey's evening with Anthony.

As soon as Alejandro was gone Lindsey flung open her closet and pulled out the dress. Before putting it on she called Anthony to let him know it was safe to come pick her up and then she got dressed. The dress fit her perfectly and the pearl necklace and earrings made the dress pop. After dressing she headed outside to wait for Anthony who arrived a short time later. He smiled at the sight of her and helped her into the car before speeding off, arriving a short time later in front of a large Victorian era house that, like so many of Anthony's other surprises, took Lindsey's breath away. The house was even bigger than the one she was living in and was in remarkable condition despite its age. Anthony led her up the stairs and into the house with a friendly smile.

The interior of the house had been set up for a romantic evening, with candles lighting the living room and the smell of incense hanging in the air. Anthony had obviously been planning this evening for several days and Lindsey could tell that he was happy that she had noticed. He offered her a seat in a large armchair and took a seat opposite her in a chair that looked more like a throne.

"So, tell me Lindsey, what do you think?" he asked, his dark eyes raking over her like hot coals, making her flush.

"I think it's amazing." she answered. "This house is beautiful."

"It's been in my family for six generations." Anthony said, with a smile.

Lindsey nodded, impressed, glancing around the living room. "So, not to be rude, but when are we having dinner?" she asked, after a moment of silent contemplation.

"I'm sorry, but I must confess that we aren't having dinner." Anthony said. "I used that as an excuse to get you over here, which was stupid. I apologize."

"No, don't." Lindsey said. "It's fine. We don't have to have dinner. If you just want to spend time together I'm fine with that."

Anthony smiled and nodded and for the next half hour they simply talked, discussing everything from their childhoods to their favorite bands. And then Anthony abruptly stood up, an apologetic smile on his face.

"I'm sorry." he said. "But I can't just invite you over here and not offer you something to eat or drink. Would you like some wine, perhaps?"

"Wine would be nice, thank you." Lindsey said, with a polite smile.

Anthony nodded and made his way into the kitchen where he poured two glasses or red wine. Then, with a twisted smile, he pulled out a small vile of clear liquid which he poured into one glass before returning to the living room. He handed one glass to Lindsey and took his seat again before raising his glass in a toast.

"I would just like to say that these last few days with you have been the best of my life." he said. "And so I would just like to make a toast to love. May ours last forever."

Lindsey smiled and raised her glass as well before echoing, "To love." She then brought the glass to her lips and took a sip of wine, then another, and another. But before she could get to the fourth sip she felt a sharp stab of pain shoot through her stomach, which quickly turned into an intense burning, making her stomach lurch. She rose to her feet, only to be hit by a wave of nausea and dizziness that made her stumble. With the room spinning around her she staggered towards the door, growing more unsteady with each step. And then she stopped, her chest tightening so that her breath came in short, painful gasps. The wineglass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor just before she collapsed, hitting the floor with a thud. She could feel her heart racing in her chest and saw a blurry shape appear above her.

"Anthony...h-help...me..." she gasped, the words barely making it out of her mouth.

Anthony knelt down beside her, a smile on his face. "Oh Lindsey, you really are an idiot." he said. "My name isn't Anthony Giles, it's Gideon Hall and you, my sweet, foolish girl, have just been poisoned. I expect your death to happen any time now."

Lindsey's brilliant blue eyes went wide at Anthony's words as she struggled to process what he had just told her. "N-no." she gasped. "It...it isn't...true. Y-you can't...c-can't...be..." Her voice trailed off as the poison finished its work and Lindsey gave one last gasping breath before relaxing into death.

Gideon stared at her, smiling, his gaze fixed on her still open eyes. It had been a pleasure courting her and luring her to her death and he would relish the feeling for days. Unfortunately, that joy would have to wait as a sudden pounding on the door drew his attention. Sighing, Gideon made his way over to the door, opening it to find a visibly pissed off Tyler standing on the porch.

"Where the fuck is she you bastard?" Tyler demanded. "Where the fuck is Lindsey?"

Gideon smiled and stepped aside to reveal Lindsey's lifeless body sprawled on the floor. Tyler stared at her in horror before turning his rage towards Gideon. But before Tyler could land a blow Gideon buried his knife in Tyler's gut. As Tyler slumped against the door frame Gideon drove the knife into his throat, killing him instantly. Smiling, Gideon stepped aside and Tyler collapsed onto the floor, blood splattering beneath him. Gideon stared at his two victims for a moment before moving to dispose of them, all the while relishing the kill.

A short time later Gideon lifted Lindsey's body from the trunk of his car before carrying her over to the massive hole he had dug days before. Tyler's body already lay at the bottom of the pit, but Gideon was taking his time disposing of Lindsey. He looked down at her lifeless form, hanging limp in his arms, her eyes still open and smiled before kissing her on the cheek. He then dropped her body into the pit with a smile before musing, "Sorry Lindsey, but you had to know this was coming. You had to know that this was a poisonous affair."

**A/N: So, sorry it's been so long since I updated. I've been busy with other things and I couldn't find the time to write. Also, as you can tell, this chapter is quite long (for my fics anyway) and so it took me a bit longer to write it. Anyway, as you now know, Lindsey and Tyler have joined the deceased and yes, Anthony Giles is Gideon Hall, which I'm sure some of you saw coming. If you didn't, well, surprise! If you did figure it out, sorry I wasn't able to disguise that fact better. Also, if you're wondering how Tyler knew where Gideon's house was that will be revealed in the next chapter. And if you're wondering how Gideon knew where Lindsey lived that will be revealed later as well.**


	14. The Professor's Demise

Bridgette sat in stunned silence staring at the photos that lay on the table before her. She could not believe what she was seeing, but she knew it was real. There was no way these photos could have been faked and the scenes they depicted were real, which only made the pain worse. The photos were of a massive pit somewhere in the woods and laying in that pit were the lifeless bodies of Lindsey and Tyler. The photos had been found by Alejandro that morning, taped to the front door of the house that now housed only him and Heather. They had rushed over to Bridgette's house shortly after Alejandro had found the photos taking Bridgette and her roommates by surprise. But that surprise had quickly changed to horror when they realized why Heather and Alejandro had come by. The look on Alejandro's face and Heather's tears had given away their reasons for coming and the others had arrived shortly thereafter.

They were all gathered in the living room now, trying to absorb this latest blow, sorrow permeating every corner of the house. No one was more distraught than Heather who was beyond simple sorrow. The emotional pain she was feeling at the moment went beyond simple grief and entered realms of sorrow the others couldn't begin to imagine, save for Bridgette. Heather and Lindsey had been like sisters and Bridgette knew full well that Heather would never fully recover from this pain. No, Heather would never be the same again and all Bridgette could do was try to help her, even if that help wouldn't bring Lindsey back.

"I tried." Heather said, speaking for the first time since arriving at Bridgette's house. "I tried to warn her. I tried to tell her that he was Gideon, but she...she just wouldn't listen. She wouldn't listen and now...now she's..." Her voice trailed off as she dissolved into tears again.

"Heather you can't blame yourself." Bridgette said, trying to sound comforting. "I tried to warn her too, but Lindsey was independent and I don't think she would have ever listened to us, even if we'd had evidence that Anthony was Gideon."

Heather turned towards Bridgette, her eyebrows raised in a skeptical fashion. "You don't think we could have convinced her?" she asked. "What makes you say that?"

"Lindsey could be stubborn." Bridgette answered. "It was hard to change her mind once she had decided she wanted to do something. You should know that better than any of us."

"Bridgette's right Heather." Alejandro said. "Lindsey would have stuck with Gideon no matter what we said because that's what she wanted. She wanted to believe he was actually Anthony and wouldn't have listened no matter what we did. Tyler was the only one who had a chance of stopping her and even that didn't work."

Heather nodded seeming to understand their point. "I guess you're right." she said, her tone sullen. "Lindsey could be stubborn and I just wish I was strong enough to have made her see sense."

"And Tyler was the same way." Alejandro said. "He wouldn't have stopped trying to stop her, no matter what the risks were."

"Well said Alejandro." Bridgette said, glancing at the photos again. Despite the horror they depicted she couldn't help looking at them and wondering where the pit was. She was also curious to figure out exactly how Gideon had killed Lindsey, as there were no visible signs of what had caused her death. Tyler had two gruesome stab wounds, one to his stomach and one to his throat, but Lindsey showed no signs of what had killed her. Shaking her head Bridgette turned away from the pictures and refocused on the discussion.

"So, is that why you think Tyler was at Gideon's house?" Trent asked. "Because he would never give up on Lindsey?" He was looking at Alejandro, his expression one of honest curiosity.

"Yes, I do think that's why he was at Gideon's house." Alejandro answered, not quite meeting Trent's gaze.

"It's not actually Gideon's house." Dr. McLellen said, his voice drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

"What do you mean it's not his house?" Jonsey asked. "He was living in it, wasn't he?"

"This is true, but that doesn't mean the house is his." Dr. McLellen answered.

"Who does it belong to then?" Nikki asked, her curiosity peaked by this new train of thought. "And if it's not his how did he get in."

"Gideon has his ways." Dr. McLellen answered. "And as far as who actually owns the house I am afraid it would be unethical for me to identify them."

"Oh come on." said Nikki, her tone irritated. "Don't get all ethical on us now. The identity of that house's owners could help us find Gideon."

"Actually it can't." Dr. McLellen said. "Because the owners of that house are dead."

"What?" Nikki asked. "Really? Well that's just fucking perfect. We finally have a piece of evidence that could lead us to Gideon and it turns out to be completely fucking useless."

"Nikki calm down." Bridgette said. "We don't even know for sure that these people could have helped us, so just chill out a minute okay?"

"Why would you assume they couldn't help us?" Gwen asked, when Nikki didn't respond. "They obviously knew Gideon if they were letting him stay in their house, so they could have led us to him or at least given us a way to identify him."

"Actually that is incorrect as well." Dr. McLellen said. "While these people did know Gideon he did not come to live in their house because they let him."

"Then how did he get in?" Gwen asked, her tone confused.

"Because he was the one who killed them." Dr. McLellen answered.

"How the hell do you know that?" Trent asked, his tone also confused.

"Because I also knew them." Dr. McLellen answered. "And I know Gideon, or at least I can guess how his mind works as he thinks in a manner similar to that of my brother."

There was a collective shiver at the mention of McLean but Dr. McLellen didn't seem to notice. Bridgette did however and it was this that prompted her to ask, "If you knew them, then why can't you tell us who they are?"

Dr. McLellen looked at her, his eyes boring into hers and then he sighed. "Alright, I suppose I can tell you who they are, if you really must know." he said. "Their names are Charlie and Lauren Bates and they are longtime friends of Gideon's or at least they used to be."

"What does that mean?" Nikki asked, curious again.

"It means Gideon was friends with Charlie before he was sent to prison and that fact caused a falling out to occur between them." Dr. McLellen answered. "I assume it was that friendship that allowed Gideon to get so close to them." He fell silent then, his expression full of sorrow.

"Dr. McLellen, is something wrong?" Bridgette asked, suddenly worried.

"They were such a lovely couple." Dr. McLellen answered. "Charlie and Lauren, I mean. They got married three years ago and bought that house a little over a year ago. Charlie was thirty six and Lauren was thirty four. I still can't believe they're dead."

"It sounds like you were close with them." Bridgette said. "How did you know them?"

"They were students of mine a few years back." Dr. McLellen answered. "I always enjoyed reading their papers." He fell silent again before adding, "You know what the worst part of this is? Lauren was six months pregnant when Gideon killed her. She was six months pregnant. They even knew what the gender of their child was going to be. They were going to have a daughter and now they're gone." He fell silent again, his sorrowful gaze resting on Bridgette.

The room was silent following Dr. McLellen's story, the full impact of Gideon's evil hitting the group with the force of a freight train. They had all known Gideon was an evil bastard, but to learn that he had killed a pregnant woman and her husband just so he could take their house was more than any of them could bare. It was one thing to know that Gideon was targeting them, but they knew what his reasons were and to learn that he was killing innocent people just to further his schemes made Bridgette want to scream.

"Damn that bastard." Nikki said, her tone full of rage. "Damn him to the lowest, darkest pit of hell. I hope he fucking burns for all he has done."

"Oh he will Nikki, he will." said Bridgette. "I'll make damn sure of that. And woe betide anyone who tries to fucking stop me."

Several of the others were nodding in agreement, but Dr. McLellen didn't look so convinced. In fact he looked like he had seen a ghost and was staring at Bridgette with the most peculiar expression she had ever seen from him. It was as though he was trying to read her mind or get her to read his. Either way it was unnerving and Bridgette found herself moving to snap him out of his catatonic trance.

"Dr. McLellen?" she asked. "Is everything alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Yes, I'm fine." he answered. "I'm afraid I must go though. I need to prepare for class tomorrow and all that."

Bridgette nodded and Dr. McLellen left without a backwards glance leaving Bridgette in a state of bewilderment as she tried to figure out what had made him look like that. She ultimately decided it wasn't something to worry about, deciding she would ask him about it in the morning or whenever she saw Dr. McLellen next.

* * *

Dr. McLellen arrived back at his house twenty five minutes after leaving Bridgette's. He had headed directly home after leaving Bridgette's and was shaking with fear as he climbed out of his car. He had come so close to telling her the truth and that was what had him so riled up. The truth was more than she could handle now and to tell her would destroy her, something he could not allow to happen. No, she was the key, one way or another, she was the one who would bring peace to the world, or at least this little sliver of the world.

Dr. McLellen made his way up the steps and entered the house, locking the door behind him. After closing all the curtains he made his way upstairs to his study, intent on consulting the texts. But before he could enter his study something stopped him. There was something off about the room and Dr. McLellen knew exactly what it was.

"Why don't you show yourself Gideon." he said, his tone devoid of fear.

For a moment there was no response and then Gideon stepped out of the shadows, a smile on his face. "Hello William." he said. "Nice to see you haven't lost your edge."

Dr. McLellen glared at him and said, "I prefer Dr. McLellen now."

"Do you?" Gideon asked. "So your dull existence as a professor has changed you that much has it? I must admit I never thought I'd see the day when the great William McLellen hid behind false titles and ill gotten gains."

"The title isn't false Gideon." Dr. McLellen said. "I was a doctor before you ever knew me and the title has never been a mask for me to hide behind. It is my identity. It is the reason I survived my departure from the order and it is how I know things you will never understand."

"Tough talk from a man who spends his days behind a desk." Gideon said, his tone mocking and cruel.

"Yes, well, I prefer to look at it as an opportunity." Dr. McLellen said. "Living my life behind a desk allows me to gather knowledge and knowledge is the key to power the likes of which you could never imagine."

"Believe what you will William." Gideon said. "But know that your knowledge will not save you in the end. Speaking of which, I assume you know why I am here?"

"You are here to kill me." Dr. McLellen answered. "I have known this day was coming for years, ever since I left the order." He glanced at Gideon before continuing, "I'm sorry, did you expect me to be surprised?"

Gideon didn't answer, though he seemed to be annoyed by Dr. McLellen's question and lack of surprise. "You are only partially correct." he finally answered. "I have another reason for coming to visit you."

"Which is?" Dr. McLellen asked, though he could guess.

"I desire the texts you posses." Gideon answered, with only a hint of a smile.

Dr. McLellen was taken aback by this and it took him a moment to respond. "Why do you desire the texts?" he finally asked. "Do you not have your own?"

"No, regrettably I lost mine." Gideon answered. "Or rather they were taken from me when I was sent to prison."

This seemed to amuse Dr. McLellen, for he smiled at Gideon's response. "You are not a very good disciple Gideon." he said. "Any true follower of the darkness knows how maintain possession of his tools no matter what obstacles they face."

"Yes, well, my experiences were rather extraordinary, don't you think?" Gideon asked.

"I really don't, actually." Dr. McLellen said. "You were not the first of us to be imprisoned and you won't be the last, but none of the others lost their texts."

"As I told you, mine were taken from me." Gideon snarled, his eyes going dark.

"Oh, touched a nerve have I?" Dr. McLellen asked, with another smile.

Gideon glared at him before answering. "Perhaps." he said. "But it is of no consequence. Now, the texts if you please."

"Do you really think you can do what my brother couldn't?" Dr. McLellen asked, hoping to buy himself some more time. "For that is why you want the texts, is it not?"

"It is." Gideon answered. "And as far as your brother is concerned, he was a poor disciple and lacked the conviction to do what was necessary to sway her to the darkness."

"Really?" Dr. McLellen asked. "Is that what you really think? Did you miss what he did to her and her friends. And yet she still remains pure, so I ask again, if Chris couldn't do it, what makes you think you can?"

"I do not lack conviction." Gideon answered. "I am willing to do what is necessary to ensure she falls under my sway and I will not fail."

"You are mistaken." Dr. McLellen said. "Chris couldn't do it and he was ten times the disciple you are. You will fail in this endeavor Gideon and she will remain pure."

"No, it is you who are mistaken." Gideon said, a sinister smile twisting his features. "I will not fail and I will make her a disciple. There is no one who can stop me for this is my destiny and more importantly it is her destiny. That is why I will not fail."

Dr. McLellen smiled and nodded. "Perhaps you are correct in your assessment." he said. "Perhaps it is your destiny, but it has never been hers. I will not allow you to corrupt her any more than she has already been corrupted." With that he lunged at Gideon, but the force of a bullet striking him in the chest stopped him short of his goal.

Dr. McLellen staggered backwards, his hand going to the wound before Gideon shot him a second time. He felt his legs buckle beneath him and a second later he hit the floor. Gideon stepped over him and fired two more shots into his abdomen before crouching down beside him.

"You see, no one can stop me." Gideon said. "I will have her, one way or another, I will make her mine."

Dr. McLellen coughed, blood dribbling from his mouth, before smiling. "You are wrong my friend." he said. "She will never be yours. I have seen how strong she is and she will never bend to your will."

"We shall see." Gideon said. "Perhaps you are right, but I really don't think you are." He paused for a moment before bringing the gun level with Dr. McLellen's head. "Goodbye William." he said, before pulling the trigger. The bullet struck Dr. McLellen in the middle of the forehead making his body jerk before he slumped back, dead before his head hit the floor. Gideon stood and walked over to the desk where he retrieved the texts before exiting without a backwards glance at Dr. McLellen's lifeless form.

**A/N: And so Dr. McLellen meets his end. Also, yes, there is a history between him and Gideon, a very mysterious and rather interesting history in fact which will all be revealed in time. What they were talking about before Gideon killed Dr. McLellen is part of that history, but again, you'll have to wait to get all the answers. But never fear, for the answers are coming and some of them might surprise you. **


	15. A Warning From the Past

"That bastard!" Nikki shouted, her voice shaking with rage and sorrow. "Why did he go after Dr. McLellen? What possible reason would he have for killing such a kind man?"

No one answered the question, for none of them had any answers to give. It was the morning after their last meeting and they had just learned that Dr. McLellen had been killed. The news had caught them all off guard, for no one had expected Gideon to go after Dr. McLellen. They had found out about his death from the news, though the news story hadn't been clear on how Dr. McLellen's body had been discovered. They were now gathered in the living room of Bridgette's house, though Bridgette wasn't with them. She had run up to her room after hearing the news and refused to come out. Several of the others had tried to talk to her, but she had refused to listen to any of them and they had decided to give her some space as she dealt with this latest blow. Still, several of them, particularly Heather, were concerned about Bridgette and wanted to help, despite Bridgette's unwillingness to listen.

"Why won't she listen to us?" Heather asked, her blank gaze passing around the room.

"It can't be easy for her Heather." LeShawna answered. "Dr. McLellen was more than just a professor to Bridgette. He was like a second father to her, so it's going to take some time for her to come to grips with this."

"And don't forget how he saved her life last year." said Jude. "To know that the man who kept you alive after you'd been shot is dead can't be an easy blow to take."

"I understand all of that, but I still don't get why she won't let us help her." Heather said.

"She will, but she'll come to us when she's ready." said Geoff. "Trust me, Bridgette wants help with this, but we can't force it on her. She has to come to it in her own time."

Heather nodded, seeming to understand, though she still looked upset. However, she chose to keep her opinions to herself and focus on other things, namely trying to find an answer to Nikki's previously asked question about why Gideon would kill Dr. McLellen.

"Okay, so, if we can't talk to Bridgette then let's at least figure out why Gideon made this particular move." Heather said.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Trent asked, his tone skeptical.

"Well, let's think." said Heather. "Why would Gideon kill Dr. McLellen? The only logical answer I can come up with is that Dr. McLellen knew something Gideon didn't want us finding out."

"You think Dr. McLellen knew something and didn't tell us?" Geoff asked. "Why the fuck would he do that? Unless you're thinking what I think you're thinking?" He glanced at Heather, his gaze full of suspicion.

"Wait, I'm confused bro." said Jude. "You mind filling the rest of us in on what you're thinking?" He was staring at Geoff as though he was trying to read his mind.

"Heather is suggesting that Dr. McLellen knew something about Gideon and didn't share it with us." said Geoff, glancing at Jude before turning his gaze back to Heather. "That is what you're saying, isn't it?"

"It is." Heather answered. "But I only put the theory out there because it makes sense."

"No, it doesn't." said Geoff. "Dr. McLellen wouldn't have kept secrets from us, especially if those secrets were about Gideon."

"What makes you so certain of that?" Heather asked. "Look at the facts Geoff. None of us knew Dr. McLellen before last year and we know he had a past with McLean and Shane, so why couldn't he have had a past with Gideon as well?"

"Fuck you Heather." Geoff snapped. "You're grasping at straws and I don't like what you're suggesting, so how about you shut up before I make you."

Heather flinched like she was expecting Geoff to strike her, but Ron moved to intervene. "Now hold on Mr. Martin." he said. "Miss Chen's theory may be more valid than you think and I think we should hear her out."

"What are you saying?" Geoff asked. "Are you saying you think Dr. McLellen was keeping secrets from us?"

"No, I'm not." Ron said. "But you forget that Chef, Coach and I knew him before last year and there is validity to what Miss Chen is saying."

"So what, Dr. McLellen did have a history with Gideon, is that what you're telling us?" Geoff asked, too shocked to comprehend what he was hearing.

"I cannot say for sure if they had a history, but they did know each other." Ron answered.

"Knew each other how, exactly?" Alejandro asked.

"That I cannot answer." Ron said. "Though I will say this, Gideon was once a student of Dr. McLellen's here at CSU."

"That still doesn't provide an answer as to why he was killed though." said Nikki.

"No, unfortunately it doesn't." Ron agreed. "However, I think there is a connection, and it may have something to do with the fact that both Gideon and Dr. McLellen have history with McLean, though what that history is, exactly, I do not know."

* * *

While her friends debated the possibility of a connection between Dr. McLellen and Gideon, Bridgette sat alone in her room consumed in her grief. LeShawna's words were true, after all. Bridgette did consider Dr. McLellen to be a second father and his death was more painful than anything she had yet endured. Bridgette wasn't sure why it was so painful for her, she had only known Dr. McLellen for a little over a year after all. But in that time she had learned so much from him and had come to view him as a father. There was something about Dr. McLellen that made Bridgette feel calm and reassured no matter what was happening around her. It was a different kind of calm than what she got from Geoff, a fatherly calm that made her feel protected even in the most desperate of situations. But now that calm was gone. Dr. McLellen was dead and Bridgette would never feel that security again, not even from her actual father, as the security Dr. McLellen had brought her went beyond fatherly strength. It was something else all together, a security born out of the seemingly endless wisdom Dr. McLellen had given her, wisdom that was born out of actually knowing and understanding the mysteries of the universe. No one else could give her that security or calmness and for the first time in her life Bridgette felt fully exposed to the threats that surrounded her.

But there was more than just the loss of Dr. McLellen's security that was making Bridgette sad. There was something about the way he had looked at her just before leaving her house the previous night that was bothering her. He had looked at her like he had been trying to tell her something without using words and the look had haunted her ever since. What was it that he had been trying to tell her? Did it have something to do with Gideon? And if it did, why hadn't he just said it out loud? As usual, Bridgette had no answers, but she was determined to figure this puzzle out. However that was proving to be difficult and Bridgette found herself crying once again, this time out of frustration rather than sorrow.

Sometime later, her tears all but completely spent, Bridgette set about trying to find the answers she sought. It still wasn't proving to be easy, but Bridgette was certain she could find the answers if she looked hard enough. However, it wouldn't be until the next day that she would finally find something helpful.

The next morning, while rummaging through her room for possible clues that Dr. McLellen may have left behind, Bridgette stumbled across a sealed envelope that she had never seen before. Shocked by her discovery Bridgette simply stared at the envelope for a moment before picking it up with trembling hands. "What the hell?" she whispered. "Where did this come from?" It was then that she noticed the handwriting on the envelope, the discovery making her heart skip a beat. The handwriting was that of Cecily Jones, her old campus tour guide, and that fact made Bridgette more than a little nervous. Cecily was dead, after all, and had been working for McLean before she died, so how had the envelope ended up in Bridgette's room? More importantly, what was in the envelope and was it worth the risk to find out? Ultimately Bridgette decided that it was and she tore the envelope open with a mixture of excitement and fear.

What she found inside was not what she had been expecting, as there was nothing more than a note contained within. But it was what Cecily had written on the note that caught Bridgette's attention, for it was more than she could have ever expected. The note was a warning and it read as follows.

_Bridgette, I am so sorry for my deception, but I have no choice. He is controlling me through some form of brainwashing and I can only fight it for a few moments at a time. I wanted to tell you this in person, but I couldn't risk it, so I shall tell you in this letter. McLean is not the only one. There are others involved in this and they are more dangerous than McLean. One man in particular is of great concern for me. His name is Gideon Hall and his plans are more sinister than anything McLean could come up with. He wants you Bridgette. Gideon wants you, and I don't mean he wants to kill you. He wants to turn you, to make you like him, though I cannot begin to understand why. At this moment in time the only thing that keeps Gideon at bay is McLean. You must not kill him Bridgette, for if you do, Gideon will find you and he will claim you. This is the only warning I can give you, I pray you heed it, lest you condemn yourself and all you love. Sincerely, Cecily Jones._

For a moment Bridgette simply stared at the letter, barely daring to believe what she had just read. But as she thought about it, it all began to make sense. Most of what Cecily had written Bridgette already knew, though she now realized that she had learned it all too late. She had not gotten Cecily's warning in time and now it was too late to prevent the storm from gathering. She had killed McLean and Gideon had arrived and now all that Cecily's letter had warned about was coming true. And as this realization washed over her Bridgette ran from her room, desperate to find the others.

She found Geoff sleeping on the couch moments later and ran to him, her whole body shaking. "Geoff." she whispered. "Geoff wake up." She shook him and he grunted, before rolling over. "Geoff, get the fuck up, damn it!" she shouted, hitting him in the shoulder.

"Ow! Damn it Bridgette." Geoff muttered, rolling over to face her. He blinked then, as though he had just realized she was there. "Bridgette, you've come out of your room. Are you feeling better or are you still in a funk?"

"Never mind that now." she muttered. "I've figured it out, where are the others?"

"Figured what out?" Geoff asked, ignoring the question about the others.

"Why Gideon is after us." Bridgette answered, her tone somewhere between fear and excitement. "I know what he wants."

"What do you mean you know what he wants?" Geoff asked, perplexed.

"I found a letter from Cecily." Bridgette answered, pressing the letter into his hands. "It explains everything Geoff. She meant for it to be a warning, but we didn't get it in time. But I think it can still be a warning, we can still use it to our advantage."

Geoff glanced at her before reading the letter, his reaction telling Bridgette all she needed to know. It was clear that this warning from the past could still help them now and all they had to do was get the others to read it. All hope wasn't lost and there was a light at the end of the tunnel again, a faint, flickering light, but a light all the same.

**A/N: Okay so, now we know the reasons behind Gideon's plan. Or at least we know some of the reasons. There may be more to his plan, but that's for future chapters to reveal. Anyway, that's really all there is for this chapter, which I know isn't much. But trust me, the mystery is getting deeper and all the answers are coming.**


	16. The Disciple of Darkness

"Okay wait, let me see if I've got this." said Jonesy, his tone incredulous. "You got this letter from Cecily warning you about Gideon and yet you tell us you just found it yesterday. What's up with that?" He glanced at Bridgette who did not respond.

It had been twenty four hours since Bridgette had found the letter from Cecily and the gang was once again gathered at her house. She had intended to tell them the previous day, but Geoff had made her wait. He had not specified why he wanted to wait, but Bridgette had agreed and now she was regretting that decision. The others seemed to think that keeping this information from them had been a betrayal and they seemed unwilling to forgive Bridgette for it.

"Well Bridgette?" Nikki asked. "Are you going to answer Jonsey's question or not?"

Bridgette glanced at her friend hoping for some sign of forgiveness, but she saw nothing. Sighing she look away before making her answer. "It was Geoff's idea not to tell you guys right away." she said. "I wanted to, but Geoff said to wait."

"Oh that's nice." Alejandro said, his tone sarcastic. "Blame it on your boyfriend, that's really nice Bridgette."

"Actually, it is my fault." Geoff said, stepping forward. "I was the one who wanted to wait. Bridgette's telling the truth, she wanted to tell you all yesterday but I made her wait."

The room was silent for a moment following Geoff's admission. It seemed no one had been expecting him to take the blame and Bridgette found herself looking at him with a powerful new admiration. The same could not be said of the others, who seemed to have shifted their anger to Geoff now that they knew the truth.

"What the hell man?" Trent asked. "Why wouldn't you let Bridgette tell us about this?"

"I don't know." Geoff answered. "I guess I just wanted to confirm that Cecily's warning was legit before we told you."

"Okay, first of all, that's not your decision to make." said Gwen. "And second, how were you planning on confirming the legitimacy of Cecily's letter?"

"I would have figured something out." Geoff answered, his tone defensive. "And what the fuck do you mean it's not my decision to make?"

"The letter was addressed to Bridgette, therefore it is her right, and hers alone to decide what to do with this information." Gwen answered.

Geoff opened his mouth to argue, but a warning glance from Bridgette stopped him. "Okay, look, it doesn't matter who's decision it is to make." Bridgette said. "What matters is we have gained valuable information from this letter and now we need to decide how to use it."

"Okay, you're right." said Gwen. "Arguing amongst ourselves isn't going to help us in the long run. So, I'm sorry. I was out of line and I apologize to both of you."

"Your apology is accepted." Geoff said, his tone a little stiff, as though he doubted the validity of Gwen's apology.

Gwen ignored this and the others made their apologies as well. With that now out of the way they turned their attention to unraveling Cecily's warning. It seemed like a fairly easy task, but it would prove to be more difficult than any of them had originally anticipated. The most confusing part of the letter was Cecily's warning that Gideon wanted to make Bridgette like him.

"I don't get it." Geoff said. "Why would Gideon want to make you like him? How would that benefit him?"

"I have no idea." Bridgette answered. "But I am certain I don't want to find out."

"The better question is why would Gideon think that he could even succeed at something like that?" Starr asked. "I mean, he has to know that Bridgette wouldn't just roll over and join him."

"You're giving him too much credit Starr." said Lucy. "Maybe he doesn't know that. Maybe he assumes that Bridgette will just cave and join him."

"It is a possibility, though an unlikely one." said Gwen. "Based on everything we've learned about him so far I would say that Gideon Hall doesn't make assumptions. But that in itself is an assumption on my part, so maybe he does."

"Your thoughts may be speculations and assumptions, but I think you're not that far off." said Chef. "If Gideon is indeed like McLean, then I think it is safe to assume that he doesn't make assumptions. McLean generally didn't and if they are alike then Gideon likely doesn't either, at least in general. From what I have observed, Gideon is very decisive in his actions and only acts when he has amassed sufficient knowledge of his target."

"That's an interesting theory, but how can we prove it?" Heather asked.

"That should be relatively simple." Chef replied. "Consider how long it took him to make his first move. It was four days after he had sent Bridgette the first message before he killed Justin. He then repeated the pattern before killing Courtney, Owen, Wyatt and Marlowe, Lindsey and Tyler, and Dr. McLellen. To me, this suggests that he took time to plan and observe before making each kill, which suggests that he is very meticulous and decisive in his actions."

The room was silent following Chef's explanation. It made sense, but that didn't provide the comfort Bridgette had been hoping for. In fact, it had the opposite effect, making Bridgette even more worried than she already was. The others seemed to be just as worried by Chef's explanation, as it perfectly explained why Gideon would think he could get Bridgette to be like him.

"So you think Gideon wouldn't assume that he could sway Bridgette, he'd know?" Gwen asked, glancing at Chef.

"Exactly." Chef answered. "I think Gideon is convinced he can do it, he is simply waiting for the right moment to make his move."

"Well I won't let him." Bridgette said, her voice sounding much more confident than she felt. "I won't bend to his will, no matter what he does to try and make me."

"Your resolution is impressive, but I think we should take extra precautions just to be safe." said Chef. "From now on you do not go anywhere alone, understood? I don't care who stays with you, so long as someone from this group does. If turning you is indeed Gideon's ultimate goal these precautions are necessary to ensure he does not get to you."

"You can count on us Chef." said Geoff. "We'll make sure that bastard never gets his hands on her, even if it kills us."

The others nodded in agreement and Bridgette reluctantly agreed to Chef's proposal as well. She felt a sickening weight settle in her stomach, the same weight she had felt during McLean's assault. She hated this helpless feeling, hated putting her friends in danger. She wanted to fight this battle on her own, but there was no use arguing. She knew that the others would never let her face Gideon alone, especially not now that they knew why he wanted her. So Bridgette would play along for now, though she was determined to find a way to leave her friends out of the final battle.

* * *

The next morning Bridgette awoke to a great commotion downstairs. She had spent the previous night trying to figure out a way to get away from her friends, but no inspiration had struck. For a moment she considered ignoring the commotion downstairs, but ultimately her curiosity got the better of her and she made her way down to the living room. She found most of the others gathered there, several of them grouped around an obviously distraught Beth. The sight made Bridgette's heart sink, for there could be only one reason why Beth would be so upset. Silently Bridgette entered the room, making her way over to Beth who seemed oblivious to the presence of anyone else.

"What happened?" Bridgette asked, after a moment of silence.

Without meeting her gaze Nikki gestured at the TV. Bridgette turned her gaze towards the TV, finding the answer to her question on the screen. Pictures of Darth and Julie stood in stark relief against a dark background and beneath the pictures was a caption that read, _Fulton couple assassinated by sniper._ The TV was muted so Bridgette couldn't hear what the newscaster was saying, but she could gather all the information she needed from the pictures and the caption.

"Oh God, Beth I am so sorry." she said, turning away from the TV.

Beth looked at her then, her tear streaked face making Bridgette cringe. "It's not your fault Bridgette." Beth croaked. "You didn't know Gideon would...go after...them..." Her voice trailed off as she dissolved into tears once again. It was no secret that Beth had been close with Darth and Julie and Bridgette knew exactly how she felt.

"When were they killed?" Bridgette asked, glancing around the room.

"Sometime yesterday afternoon." Gwen answered. "They were shopping in downtown Fulton and he just picked them off like they were targets on a firing range."

"Do we know for sure it was Gideon who killed them?" Bridgette asked.

"Who else could it have been?" Gwen asked. "Gideon is the only person we know who'd kill them. It has to have been him."

"Then it is our fault they died." Bridgette said, not meeting Gwen's gaze. "They weren't here in Fort Columbus and I never once thought to warn them about Gideon. Did you?"

"No, I didn't." Gwen admitted, hanging her head in shame. "I don't think any of us did."

"I did." Beth said. "I warned them, but Darth was never one to take these kind of things seriously and Julie was more inclined to listen to him than anyone else. I don't blame any of you, so please don't blame yourselves."

Bridgette nodded, though it was obvious that it would take more than Beth's words to convince the others that they weren't at least partially guilty for Darth an Julie's deaths. None of them had the heart to say this out loud though and for the next several minutes they sat in silence, mourning the loss of two more friends. The silence was broken by the sound of something moving on the porch and Bridgette moved to investigate, finding only a folded piece of paper when she opened the door.

"What's that?" Nikki asked, once Bridgette had returned to the living room. "Is it another note from Gideon?"

Bridgette unfolded the paper before answering. "Yes, it is." she said, after another moment of silence. She stared at the letter in her hands, barely taking in the words which read, _Did you see the news this morning Bridgette? That was just another gift from me to you. I wanted to let you know that there is a way to end this. Meet me in the park near your house this evening and I'll leave your friends __alone. I'll also explain everything you want to know._

"What's it say?" Geoff asked, glancing at Bridgette.

"It says he wants to meet with me." Bridgette answered. "He says he'll leave the rest of you alone if I do and he'll answer all my questions. Guys, I think I should go. This could be the break we've been looking for."

There was an uproar at this and before she could stop them the entire group was shouting at her, trying to convince her that meeting with Gideon was a bad idea.

"Bridgette no, you can't meet with him." Gwen was saying. "It's too dangerous."

At the same time Nikki was ranting about Bridgette being an idiot for even considering such a move, Geoff was begging her to reconsider, and Lucy was asking if she had a death wish. For a moment Bridgette was overwhelmed by the clamor all around her and then she found her voice again.

"ALL RIGHT, EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!" she shouted, her voice bringing an abrupt silence to the room. "I understand why you guys don't want me to meet with him, but I don't care. I need to know why he wants me so bad and I'll be damned if I let any of you stop me."

"Bridgette, don't be an idiot." Nikki said. "You know what will happen if you go to him. He'll turn you or kill you and we won't let you go, so you can just forget about it."

"Fuck you." Bridgette snapped. "You don't control me and you can't stop me. I'm going and that is final."

"No, Miss Wells, you're not." Chef said, his deep voice echoing in the silent room. "You will not leave this house until we say you can. And before you tell me I'm not your father, let me explain something to you. I have talked with your father and he named me, Coach, and Ron your guardians in this situation, so you will do as we say or you will suffer the consequences."

Bridgette glared at Chef, her blood boiling, but ultimately she caved. "Fine." she spat. "I won't go, but don't blame me if we've just lost our one chance to unravel this mystery." With that she turned and stormed off to her room without a backwards glance.

* * *

Bridgette may have given in to her friends that morning, but she had no intention of keeping her word. That night, once she was convinced everyone else was asleep, Bridgette slid her window open and climbed out onto the roof. With a quick glance to make sure she hadn't woken anyone she leaped from the roof, landing lightly on her feet in the front yard. With one last glance at the house she made her way towards the park, hoping Gideon was still there. She had no idea if he would be, as it was after midnight and she didn't know how long he was willing to wait. She also had no idea what he looked like, which would make finding him even more difficult.

Upon reaching the park Bridgette began her search for Gideon, finding it to be even more difficult than she had anticipated. "Gideon." she called. "Gideon, it's Bridgette. I got your message and I've come. Show yourself." Her calls were met by nothing but silence and she was just about to head home when a man stepped out from behind a tree, making her freeze in her tracks.

The man was dressed in a long, dark trench-coat and gave off a sinister aura. He had a dark, pointed gotee and a dark mustache, as well as a scar down his right cheek. He smiled when he saw her, his smile making her shiver.

"Hello Bridgette." he said. "Glad to see you got my message."

Bridgette swallowed her fear and looked the man in the eye. "Are...are you Gideon Hall?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I am indeed." he answered. "I am Gideon Hall, the Disciple of Darkness."

"What do you want with me?" Bridgette asked, wanting to hear it from him.

"Come now Bridgette, surely you've figured that out already." Gideon said. "Did you not find the letter from our dear friend Cecily?"

Bridgette blinked, taken aback by this question. "You know about Cecily's letter?" she asked, her fear growing stronger.

"Of course I do." Gideon answered. "I was the one who had her plant it in your room."

"Bullshit." Bridgette said. "That letter was a warning about you. Why would you want me to learn about your true intentions from Cecily?"

"Because I knew it would make you curious, which would bring you to me." Gideon answered, with a smile.

"And what do you intend to do with me?" Bridgette asked.

"Many things." Gideon answered. "Things you cannot begin to imagine. But first, I want to talk, to find out what goes on inside that pretty little head of yours."

Bridgette felt herself convulse in fear, but she refused to back down. "And what if I refuse to listen to you?" she asked.

"Then I shall do as I promised." Gideon answered. "I shall kill everyone you hold dear and leave you to dwell alone in the world with no one to love you and no one to be loved by you. That is what awaits should you refuse me."

"I think you're lying." Bridgette said. "I think you'll kill them no matter what I do, so tell me why shouldn't I just go home now and leave you to your sick game?"

"Go ahead." Gideon said. "But know this, I am the Disciple of Darkness and when I decide to kill it will be done and if you refuse me your friends will die the most horrible of deaths."

"I'll take my chances with that." Bridgette said. "Because I don't think you really have the stones to kill us all."

"Then you are a fool." Gideon said. "I do not go back on my word and your friends will all be killed if you walk away. In addition, I must ask, if you are so certain I won't kill them, why did you meet me here tonight?"

"I wanted to see your face." Bridgette answered. "I wanted to know what you look like so you can't hide any more." She smiled at the look on Gideon's face as he realized he had been played.

"Well played Bridgette." he said. "You beat me at my own game, well played indeed."

"Yes, well, even a man as good as you has his weaknesses." Bridgette said. "And with that I think I'll be going now." She turned to leave, but Gideon caught her by the wrist.

"No, I don't think you will." he said, with a sinister smile. With that he released her and drew a gun from within his coat. He aimed at her throat and fired, a tranquilizer dart striking her in the jugular. Bridgette gasped and collapsed, Gideon catching her before she hit the ground. "No, you're coming with me, whether you want to or not." he said, before disappearing into the shadows with Bridgette's unconscious form.

**A/N: And so Bridgette and Gideon meet, which means we have reached the beginning of the end. From here on out things get really dark and all the secrets and lies come to light. We have begun the second stage of this tale and I promise you that by the end you will know exactly why I chose to title this fic A Destiny of Death.**


	17. The Urge to Kill

Hours later Bridgette hazily came to, her head throbbing as though someone had hammered railroad spikes into her skull. She couldn't remember what she had been doing before losing consciousness and she had no idea where she was, though somehow she was aware that she had been unconscious. As her senses returned to her she realized she was in a dark, unfamiliar room. The only source of light was a flickering light bulb suspended from the ceiling, which cast dancing shadows on the wall behind her. She was seated in a rather uncomfortable metal chair to which she was held by heavy manacles fastened to her wrists and ankles. She tried standing, but the chains prevented her from doing so and it was then that she remembered what she had been doing before losing consciousness. She had been talking to Gideon and he had shot her with some kind of tranquilizer. With this realization came another, a realization that made her shudder with fear. She was in Gideon's house. He had kidnapped her and now she was completely at his mercy, fully aware of how little mercy he had.

As if Bridgette's fear had called out to him Gideon appeared before her then, a sinister smile on his face. The sight of him made Bridgette want to scream, but she forced herself to remain silent, not wanting him to notice her fear. Unfortunately it seemed he already did, for his first words were, "Come now Bridgette, there is no need to put on a brave face. I know you're afraid, as you should be. So go ahead and scream, no one can hear you."

Bridgette stared into the fathomless depths of his dark eyes and silently promised herself she would never scream for him. She would never give him the satisfaction of knowing just how much he terrified her. But even as she made this promise she realized there was nothing she could do. He had her, helpless and frightened, with every intention of using her fear against her. And no matter how hard she tried to keep her fear concealed she knew that he would find a way to break through her defenses and enter her mind. So she resolved to at least keep him from turning her, though she wasn't sure how she could pull that off.

"What do you want with me?" she asked, her voice small and terrified.

"We have discussed this already Bridgette." Gideon answered. "You know why I want you. You know the truth, you are simply too afraid to admit it."

"Truth?" Bridgette asked. "What truth? What are you talking about?"

Gideon grinned. "The truth Bridgette." he answered. "The truth you know is buried deep within your mind. The truth that drove you to kill McLean, that drove you to cheat on Geoff, that brought you to me, even when you knew you shouldn't have come."

Bridgette shuddered as she realized what Gideon was talking about. And yet, she still would not rise to his bait. Instead she tried a different approach, asking him a question she was certain he wouldn't have an answer for. "How do you know I cheated on Geoff?" she asked. "That happened over two years ago, while you were still in prison, so how do you know about that?"

"I have my ways." Gideon said, with another sinister grin.

"I don't believe you." Bridgette said, her tone suddenly defiant, despite her fear. "I don't believe you have any mysterious ways of gaining information."

"Oh really?" Gideon asked. "Is that so? Then how do you explain my knowledge of you and your precious friends?"

"Lucky guesses." Bridgette answered. "You just picked at random and got lucky, that's all. There is nothing mysterious or supernatural about what you do. In fact, what you do is despicable. It's repulsive. You are a sick and evil man who only kills out of cowardice. You deserve every ounce of the hell that awaits you and you will never have me."

Gideon smiled, seemingly impressed by her convictions, and then he swung out and backhanded her across the face. Bridgette lurched from the impact of his blow, her body twisting in her seat. She could feel the manacles grind against the bones of her wrists and again she fought the urge to scream, gritting her teeth against the pain.

Gideon's voice brought her back to reality. "You know nothing of hell." he snarled. "And you know nothing about me. I am no coward. I do not hide in the shadows like some terrified little child. I am the fucking Disciple of Darkness and you are not but a sniveling little mouse who has wandered into the mouth of hell."

"Touched a nerve, have I?" Bridgette asked, her tone more confident than she felt.

"All that you have done is make me more determined." Gideon replied. "You say I was lucky to gain the information I used to kill your friends, but have you ever considered that I have sources close to you who passed me that information?"

Bridgette did not respond, for she had no response. She had never considered the possibility that one of her friends was working with Gideon, but she had never had a reason to. Even now, the thought was absurd. There was no way any of the others were working with Gideon and she refused to believe there was even a possibility that it was true.

"No, I have not considered that." she answered. "But I don't need to. None of my friends would ever work with you."

"Are you certain of that?" Gideon asked. "Are you certain none of them would betray you if it meant they could keep their lives?"

"Yes, I am certain none of them would betray me." Bridgette answered, though there was doubt in the back of her mind.

"Very well." Gideon said. "I can see that you are intensely devoted to your friends. That is admirable, but not smart. For you should know Bridgette that all humans are treacherous beings and we will all betray those we are closest to if the stakes are high enough. So I ask you, if you were forced to choose between your own life and those of your friends, what would your decision be?"

"I don't care what you say." Bridgette spat. "I'd still choose my friends."

"Oh really?" Gideon asked. "Then do you mind telling me why you came to see me even though they didn't want you to?"

Again Bridgette didn't have an answer. Again she felt her resolve falter. Gideon was besting her at every turn. He seemed to have an answer for everything and she was beginning to wonder if she could beat him. But she had to, no matter how he tried to manipulate her she had to win or all would be lost.

"It's my life." she answered, after a moment of silence. "My friends don't control me. I chose to meet with you and they'll just have to accept that."

"That's what I wanted to hear." Gideon said. "Because it proves to me that you don't care about them. If you did, you wouldn't have so willingly risked your life on this fool's errand. If you truly cared about your friends, you would have stayed home."

"No." Bridgette cried, a note of pleading in her voice now. "No, I did this to protect them. You said you'd leave them alone if I came and you said you always keep your word."

"I do, even when my words are lies." Gideon said, a wicked smile twisting his features so they looked demonic in the flickering light.

Bridgette felt herself shiver, her eyes going wide with terror. "No, you said you'd leave them out of this. You promised." she said, true pleading in her voice now.

"That I did." Gideon confirmed. "But it is not I who shall end them. It is you who shall do that. That is my true purpose for bringing you here Bridgette, to make you my disciple. That is the truth within you that you must face."

"I still don't know what truth you're talking about." Bridgette said, fear still coloring her voice. "What do you mean I will face the truth within me?"

"It is quite simple really." Gideon answered. "Allow me to explain. There is darkness in you Bridgette and I mean to shape it, to bring it forth so that it becomes your driving force, your sole reason for being. I mean to make you a disciple of darkness."

"You won't succeed." Bridgette said, her tone suddenly confident again. "I won't let you and you have no way of forcing me to do what you want."

"In fact I do." Gideon said. "I will force you to face the truth, the darkness within you. I will force you to see that all people are treacherous, vile beings who deserve to be killed and I will do so by asking you one simple question."

"Yeah, that's it huh?" Bridgette asked. "Your big plan is to ask me a question?"

"Yes." Gideon replied. "So tell me Bridgette, do you have the urge to kill?"

Bridgette blinked, taken aback by the question. For a moment she didn't know how to respond and then she started to laugh. "I'm sorry." she gasped, after a moment of laughter. "That's the question? Do I have an urge to kill? Seriously, that's the question?"

Her laughter was brought to an abrupt end by another backhand across the face. Wincing, she glanced at Gideon who was not smiling. "Yes." he said, his voice deadly serious. "That is the question. So tell me, do you have the urge to kill?"

Again Bridgette didn't respond, though she didn't laugh again either. Finally an answer came to her and she stared into Gideon's eyes as she spoke. "No, I don't have the urge to kill." she said, her tone defiant.

"Your defiance and resolution are indeed admirable, but I ask, are you certain?" Gideon asked. "Look deeper within yourself, do you not have a burning desire to kill buried somewhere deep inside your subconscious mind?"

Bridgette thought for a moment, but try as she may she could not find an urge to kill anywhere in her mind. "Nope, still no killing urges here." she said, after a moment of silence.

"Then allow me to help you explore your mind." Gideon said, with another wicked grin. "You see Bridgette, darkness is in all of us. We just have to find it. You have found your darkness before, I know you have. And I will help you find it again."

Bridgette felt a shiver run down her spine at the thought of meeting her inner darkness again. The two times she had previously encountered the darkness had been extremely unpleasant and she did not relish the thought of visiting it again. But she seemed to have little say in the matter, so she would listen to Gideon for now, until she figure out a way to escape.

"So, there's darkness in all of us, so what?" Bridgette said. "I don't see what the big deal is. What does this have to do with me?"

"I will explain." Gideon answered. "This darkness can drive even the most kind hearted person to commit acts of great evil. The darkness warps our sense of reality. It twists our perception of the world so that all we see is bleak and lifeless. It contaminates everything with evil and all those who face their darkness will eventually succumb to it." He paused and smiled, letting the words sink in before continuing. "This is your fate Bridgette, your destiny. You have faced your darkness and now it is simply waiting to consume you."

Another shiver traveled down Bridgette's spine at these words. "But one can stave off the darkness if they have the support." she said, not knowing how she knew that.

"This is true." Gideon said. "But let me ask you, will you have that support forever? Or will those who call themselves your friends now one day turn their backs on you?"

"I see what you're trying to do and it won't work." Bridgette said. "I know my friends, they would never turn their backs on me, no matter what happens."

"But haven't they turned their backs on you once before?" Gideon asked, his words cutting Bridgette like a knife.

He was right of course. Her friends had turned on her once before, but it had been justified. She had been cheating on Geoff with Duncan and they had been upset by it. It had been her fault, and besides the burnt bridges had been rebuilt and were now stronger than ever.

"They did, but that was a long time ago and it won't happen again." she answered, her tone defiant once more.

"You are wrong Bridgette." Gideon said. "They will turn on you again. It is in their nature. They are humans and as I have already told you humans are inherently treacherous creatures. They will turn on you, it is just a matter of time."

"You're wrong." Bridgette said, though there was a note of pleading in her voice again. "You're wrong. They will never turn on me again, I know they won't."

"Oh, but they will." Gideon said, a manic gleam in his eyes now. "They will betray you, they just need the right motivation. In fact, it may have already begun. Their desire to keep you from coming to see me could have been an attempt on their part to tell you that you are weak and useless. For even if they do not turn on you they will leave you. One way or another they will abandon you and there is nothing you can do to stop it."

"No, no, no." Bridgette muttered, feeling the tears as they began to roll down her cheeks. "Stop. Please stop. I don't want to hear any more."

Gideon laughed at her feeble pleas. "You want me to stop?" he mocked. "And why would I do that? Don't you know I have no soul?" He laughed again before continuing. "No Bridgette, I will not stop. I want you to listen to this, to take in every word so that you can know what true hell really is. I want you to suffer, so plead all you want, because I will never stop. Now, where was I. Oh yes, your friends. They will leave you. It is already happening. Do you know what they think of you? I have heard them during my time observing your little group. They think you're useless. They think you're a waste of space. They, who are bold enough to call themselves your friends, hate you Bridgette. So let me ask you again, do you have the urge to kill or not?"

"I said, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Bridgette shouted, lurching in her chair as she tried to stand. "I don't want to hear any more of your bullshit."

Gideon backhanded her again, knocking her back into the chair. "Oh, I see you still have some fight in you." he said, his tone amused. "Well then, allow me to crush that resolve before you can use it against me. Your so called friends hate you Bridgette. They hate you. And do you know why?"

Bridgette shook her head, refusing to look at him. Tears ran hot and wet down her cheeks and she felt like the walls were closing in around her. She could not give in to this. She could not allow Gideon to break her, but even now doubt was creeping in. What if his words were true? What if her friends really did hate her? What would she do then?

The sound of Gideon's voice brought her back to reality. "I asked, do you know why they hate you Bridgette?" he asked. "I'll tell you why. They hate you because they blame you. They blame you for everything bad that has happened to them since meeting you. And why shouldn't they? Isn't it you who cheated on Geoff with Duncan and lied about it to them all? Isn't it you who got McLean imprisoned? Isn't it you who McLean wanted revenge on when he escaped, revenge that led him to kill and kidnap your friends? I have heard them talk Bridgette. They blame you, Heather most of all. She was going to be a successful model and actress, but she can't do that now that she's blind, can she? And who was it that pissed off McLean, leading him to kidnap and blind her? That was you Bridgette. They hate you and they blame you and they will never truly accept you again, so tell me wouldn't you rather kill them and have done with it instead of fooling yourself into believing that they care about you?"

"No, no, it's not true, IT'S NOT TRUE!" Bridgette screamed. "IT'S ALL LIES! ALL YOU'VE TOLD ME IS FUCKING LIES!"

"But it's not, Bridgette, it's not." Gideon said. "It is all true and you know it is. Your friends hate you. Your parents hate you. You are all alone in this world and there is only one way to fix it. You must kill them Bridgette, before they kill you. And they will kill you if you give them the chance. They can't stand the sight of you and they will kill you just to be rid of you. Heed my words, for they are the truth. Tell me, once and for all, do you now have the urge to kill? For if you do, I can help you punish those who have wronged you before they can harm you again. So, one last time, do you have the urge to kill, my disciple?"

As these words hit her all fight seemed to go out of Bridgette. For a long moment she was silent, her head down and her shoulders slumped and then she lifted her head until her gaze met Gideon's. "Yes." she said, her tone suddenly harsh. "Yes, I have the urge to kill. I have the urge to kill them all."

"Excellent." Gideon said, with a wicked smile. "Then let your transformation begin."

**A/N: Well, Gideon has her. Bridgette is now under his control and there is nothing she can do about it. Or is there? Is Gideon's control over her as absolute as he believes? The answers are coming and they may not be what you expect. In other news, I just want to clarify that Gideon's thoughts about humanity being a waste are his and his alone. They in no way reflect my own personal views and I am neither misanthropic or nihilistic. Those ideals came into play to develop Gideon's character and are used in a purely fictional manner. Finally, in case you have forgotten exactly when Bridgette's two previous encounters with her inner darkness occurred go back and reread chapter 24 of TToHS (Alone in the Dark) and chapter 29 of TLoL (Blood on Her Hands). **


	18. Transformation

Bridgette snapped awake, little lights popping in front of her eyes as she sat up. She was in her room, sitting on her bed and her head was pounding. For a moment she couldn't remember anything and then the memories came flooding back. She had snuck out of the house and met with Gideon. He had drugged her and tortured her and she had admitted to him that she wanted to kill. But if that had all really happened, what was she doing in her room? Had it all been a dream? Or had Gideon done something to her to make her forget? Bridgette had no answers, but the more she thought about it the more she came to realize that it had all happened. She didn't know how she knew this, she just did and somehow that fact was more terrifying than anything she had yet experienced.

A sudden, frantic pounding on her door abruptly ended Bridgette's moment of thought. She turned to face the door just as Geoff's voice cut through the silence.

"Bridgette?" he asked, his tone irritated. "Bridgette, are you in there? We need to talk."

Bridgette slid off the bed and made her way over to the door, a sudden, frantic desire to run gripping her. She fought the feeling and opened the door, finding a visibly unhappy Geoff standing in the hallway. "Yes, I'm here." she answered. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Where the fuck were you last night?" Geoff asked, his tone still irritated.

"What do mean where was I?" Bridgette asked, trying not to sound annoyed. "I was here. What kind of question is that, anyway?"

"Don't play coy with me Bridgette." Geoff snapped. "I may be your boyfriend, but don't think that gives you some sort of power over me. Now, where were you last night?"

"I...I don't know exactly." Bridgette answered, deciding it was best not to lie. "I went out for a walk, but I can't remember much after that. My head is pounding though. I think I might have a concussion or something."

"Oh, that's convenient." Geoff muttered, rolling his eyes in disbelief.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bridgette asked, her tone more demanding than she had intended it to be.

Geoff was silent for a moment and Bridgette wondered if he had an answer. When Geoff finally spoke again his voice was a whisper. "It means...well, never mind what it means." he said. "I just want to know where you were last night, that's all."

"I told you, I can't remember." Bridgette answered. "Everything is kind of fuzzy. The last thing I remember clearly is you and the Kings telling me I can't go after Gideon."

Geoff nodded, seeming to accept her story and then he grabbed her by the wrist. "Come on." he said, dragging her towards the stairs.

"Where are we going?" she asked, though she made no attempt to escape his grasp.

"We're going downstairs to discuss things with the others." Geoff said, not looking at her.

Bridgette didn't respond, though she felt a sudden wave of dread wash over her. She couldn't explain the feeling, but it was there, overpowering her senses with the desire to run. She didn't understand why she would feel this way though. These were her friends, why would she have any reason to fear them? She would not get a chance to try and answer these questions for just as they popped into her head she and Geoff entered the living room where the others were waiting.

"Geoff, what the hell?" Bridgette heard Trent ask. "What are you doing man?"

Geoff didn't answer and for a moment there was silence. And then Gwen's voice spoke, "Geoff, let Bridgette go. You're hurting her."

Bridgette felt Geoff's grasp release and heard the painful gasp that escaped her own lips. She hadn't even realized she'd been in pain until Gwen had mentioned it, but now pain shot up her arm like a white hot lance. She glanced down at herself noticing, with some shock, the bruises that covered both wrists. What the hell had happened to her the previous night? Were her earlier suspicions correct? Had she really been kidnapped by Gideon? It seemed like the only logical answer, but it still didn't make sense. How could she have been taken by Gideon and yet not remember anything about it?

"Geoff, what are you doing dude?" Jude asked, the sound of his voice bringing Bridgette back to her senses. She glanced at Geoff, who was staring at her with a look of suspicion. Turning her attention away from him, she glanced at the others, but none of them seemed to be of the same mindset as Geoff. Rather, they were all staring at him like he was crazy.

"I think she met with Gideon last night." Geoff finally answered, his tone defiant.

"That's absurd." Heather said, her blank gaze meeting Geoff's. "Why would she do something like that?"

"I don't know." Geoff answered. "Maybe she's cracked or something."

"Dude, she's your girlfriend." said Jude. "How can you say something like that?"

Geoff didn't answer and before anyone else could fling insults Chef spoke, his deep voice commanding everyone's attention. "Let's hear what Bridgette has to say before we go turning on each other." he said. "Bridgette, where were you last night? Is Geoff right, did you meet with Gideon?"

"No, I didn't." Bridgette said. "At least I don't think I did. I don't know for sure, I can't really remember what happened. Everything is kind of fuzzy and my head hurts like hell. I think I might have a concussion, though I don't know how I would have injured my head. I do remember going for a walk though."

Chef stared at her a moment, as though he was trying to read her thoughts and then he spoke again. "Okay, that sounds reasonable to me." he said, glancing at Geoff, who still looked like he didn't buy Bridgette's story.

"I still think she's lying." he said. "I mean, if she didn't go to meet with Gideon, how do you explain the bruises on her wrists?"

"Maybe she was out for a walk and he jumped her." Nikki said. "It's not like he wouldn't do something like that."

Geoff was silent for a moment and then he spoke again. "Huh, I hadn't thought of that." he admitted. "That does seem like a more logical theory. I guess I owe you an apology Bridgette."

Bridgette smiled and shook her head. "No, it's fine." she said. "I can understand why you'd be suspicious. I was gone and after the way I reacted to your ultimatum about not meeting Gideon I'm surprised more of you didn't suspect that I had. I was pretty determined to do it, after all."

"That is a good point Miss Wells, but I think we wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt." said Ron. "In any case, you should probably get your head checked out, just to be sure you don't have a concussion."

"I'll do that." Bridgette said, with a smile. With that, she made her way back up to her room, where she closed the door and let out a sigh of relief. They hadn't caught on yet and if she was lucky they never would.

* * *

An hour later Bridgette left the house, telling the others she was heading to the hospital to get herself checked out. Geoff had offered to accompany her, but she had refused, saying she didn't need his help. Geoff had protested, but had ultimately given in and let Bridgette leave by herself. This was good, for Bridgette had no intention of visiting the hospital and she did not need Geoff hanging around while she made her next move. Her real reason for leaving the house was to pay another visit to Gideon, as she still had a number of questions she had to ask before she would allow herself to go any further down the path to darkness.

Twenty minutes later she arrived at Gideon's house, though she had no idea how she had managed to find it. She had been unconscious the last time he had brought her here, but somehow she knew exactly where the house was. She took a moment to collect her thoughts before ascending the steps and knocking on the front door. Seconds later the door opened and Gideon appeared before her, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Ah, Bridgette, you've returned." he said, his tone also suggesting satisfaction.

Bridgette simply nodded and Gideon stepped aside, allowing her to enter. With a quick glance at the street Gideon smiled again and closed the door with a snap, before turning his attention back to Bridgette.

"I must say Bridgette, I didn't expect you to return so soon." Gideon mused. "Is your desire to kill really that strong?"

"It is." Bridgette answered, not meeting his gaze. "But before we get to that, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you, if you don't mind."

"Certainly." Gideon said, grinning. "Ask me whatever you want. My secrets are yours to know, now that you have chosen the path of darkness."

Bridgette wasn't sure she liked his casual demeanor, but she chose to ignore it, her thirst for knowledge overriding her other instincts. "Okay, first question." she said. "How did you get me back into my house last night without alerting my roommates?"

"That was simple." Gideon answered. "I have abilities beyond anything your friends could imagine. I simply used those abilities to cloak my presence last night."

Bridgette nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer. "Okay, next question." she said. "How do you know for sure my friends hate me?"

"I have experience with this sort of thing." Gideon answered. "I can smell it on them, the hatred and fear. They all reek of it. I can only assume that the source of such hatred is you. After all, their lives have been one giant clusterfuck of problems since they met you."

Bridgette didn't respond to this. She was still struggling to accept the fact that her friends hated her and a part of still refused to believe it was even true. But Gideon's words did make sense and she could not deny that. Still, she would not allow herself to be taken in by Gideon's charms until she had all the answers. "Did you really murder Charlie and Lauren Bates?" she asked. "Did you really commit the murders you were convicted of six years ago?"

Gideon seemed to be taken aback by these questions, but he answered them anyway. "I did." he said. "I killed them."

"Why?" Bridgette asked. "What did they do to you? What drove you to become a killer?"

"What did they do to me?" Gideon repeated. "They treated me like shit, all of them except Charlie and Lauren. The murders I committed six years ago were committed out of revenge. Charlie and Lauren, well, I killed them because I needed a place to live after I escaped from prison. And I became a killer because I like the feeling of power that comes from taking the life of another person. This is a feeling you will soon know, if you allow me to help you."

Bridgette nodded again, seeming to like this response and then she asked one final question. "Okay, but before we get to that, tell me, what is your connection to Chris McLean?" she asked. "How do you know him and what is this philosophy you both believe in?"

Gideon smiled, as though he had been expecting this question. "And we come to it at last." he said. "I was wondering when you'd ask about that. Well, I guess it begins with our fascination with death and power. You see, McLean and I, we belong to a secret organization, an Order of sorts and it is the desire of this Order to master death. That is why we kill, to gain that power over people. The creation of chaos leads to the creation of fear, which in turn breeds power and it is this power we seek. By working from the shadows we ensure that fear reigns supreme, which allows us to control the otherwise ignorant masses. That is what connects us and that is the philosophy we follow, to kill and master death, to inspire fear and to obtain power so that we can control all."

Bridgette stared in awe as Gideon finished speaking. Never before had she been so enraptured by a philosophy than she was at that moment. Gideon had explained things much more clearly than McLean or Cecily ever had and Bridgette finally understood what drew them to this philosophy. But she was still unsure if she could truly follow Gideon down this road and she decided she needed more time to make a decision.

"Well, that all sounds good, but I think I need a little time to reflect." she said, with an apologetic smile.

"I understand." Gideon said. "Take as long as you need, but remember, your friends will try to change your mind if they figure out what you are doing. And if they do that, you can never learn the secrets I possess."

Bridgette nodded. "I understand." she said. "And thank you for giving me the time to think about all that you have told me."

Gideon smiled and Bridgette left, but not before hearing Gideon say, "You are welcome Bridgette. Until next we meet, may the shadows be your guide."

* * *

The next morning Bridgette was awakened by the sounds of a great commotion rising from the living room. Startled, she glanced around her room and noticed Geoff was gone, which only made her fear worse. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts she slid out of bed and made her way downstairs. The sight that greeted her was one of utter chaos. The others were gathered in living room and all of them seemed to be doing something. Gwen was sobbing uncontrollably on the couch while LeShawna tried to comfort her. Jude, Starr, Heather, Alejandro, and Beth appeared to be arguing about something, though Bridgette couldn't hear what they were saying. Geoff, Zeke, Lucy, and the Kings were talking in hushed tones in one corner of the room. And Nikki was staring blankly out the window, the look on her face one of utter shock. Throughly confused, Bridgette made her way into the room determined to find out what had happened.

"Uh guys, what's going on?" she asked, her voice bringing an abrupt calm to the room. "What's happened?"

LeShawna was the first to respond, though she did not meet Bridgette's gaze. "Trent, Jonesy, and D.J. were killed last night." she said. "They were hanging out playing video games and Gideon just walked in and shot them."

For a moment Bridgette was too shocked to speak and then words returned to her. "Are you certain it was Gideon?" she asked.

"Of course it was Gideon." Gwen said, her voice choked and hollow. "Who the fuck else would it have been?"

"I don't know." Bridgette answered. "I was just considering other options." It was a true statement, though truthfully she was not surprised to learn that Gideon hadn't kept his word. And this did explain why Gwen and Nikki were so upset, as Trent and Jonesy had been their boyfriends.

"You were just considering other options huh?" LeShawna asked, her voice bringing Bridgette out of her thoughts with its accusing tone.

"LeShawna don't." Gwen said. "Bridgette wasn't questioning the logic of your conclusion, she was just considering the possibilities."

"What possibilities?" LeShawna asked. "We all know it was Gideon. Why would any of us have any reason to think otherwise? Unless someone here knows something they aren't sharing?" She looked directly at Bridgette who showed no signs that she knew what LeShawna was talking about.

"LeShawna stop." said Geoff. "Bridgette doesn't know any more than the rest of us, so stop accusing her of things she's not guilty of."

LeShawna didn't respond and Bridgette took the opportunity to ask her next question. "So, it was Gideon. Why did he go after them? And how do you know they were playing video games?" she asked, glancing around the room.

"Because Jude was supposed to join them." Starr answered. "But he chose to stay home with me instead. As for why Gideon killed them, I think we all know the answer to that question."

Bridgette nodded, though she was still uncertain of Gideon's motivation. He had promised her that he would leave the others alone if she joined him and he had broken that promise. Again, she wasn't really all that surprised that he had, but it still confused her. If Gideon's reasons for turning her were to get her to kill her friends, why would he kill them for her? Bridgette didn't have an answer to that, but decided she would ask Gideon the next time the met.

"I see." Bridgette said, glancing at Starr. "Is that what you guys were arguing about?"

"It is, actually." Alejandro answered. "I think Jude should have been there. Maybe if he had this wouldn't have happened."

"Oh come on Alejandro, you can't be serious." said Geoff. "What the hell makes you think Jude's presence would have made any difference? No offense dude." He glanced at Jude, who nodded, not the least bit offended by Geoff's assessment.

"More people would have made it easier to fight Gideon off." Alejandro suggested.

"Gideon caught them by surprise." Zeke said, speaking for the first time. "He's a crafty one, eh. He got the jump on them and having another person there wouldn't have made a difference. The only way they would have had a chance would be to have known Gideon was coming. Without that, there's no way to be prepared for him."

"Zeke is right." Nikki said, finally turning away from the window. Tears clung to her eyelashes, but she seemed to be in control of her emotions. "Gideon caught them by surprise." she continued. "They had no way to defend themselves, so stop making stupid suggestions that would only have cost us more."

Alejandro nodded, looking ashamed and again Bridgette took over the conversation. "Have the police started investigating yet?" she asked.

"Yes." Geoff answered. "But here's the fucked up thing, when they arrived at the house all of the bodies were gone. All that was left were some pictures, bloodstains, and signs of a struggle." He thrust a small stack of photos onto the coffee table with a look of disgust.

Bridgette stared at the photos for a moment, absorbing the horror of it. The first several photos were of the guys, Jonesy laying in the doorway, Trent slumped over on the couch, and D.J. sprawled on the living room floor; all of them with multiple gunshot wounds. But what caught her attention the most were the last three photos, which were of a young woman who was dressed in the uniform of one of the local pizza restaurants. "Who's this girl?" she asked, glancing at Geoff.

"The police identified her as Kelsey Koller." Geoff answered. "Apparently she was delivering some pizzas to the guys and arrived just as Gideon was leaving, so he shot her in the head. The police said she was only seventeen."

"Fuck." Bridgette muttered. "First the Bates and now this girl. When will Gideon stop killing innocent people just because they get in his way?"

"I don't know babe, but we'll find a way to stop him." Geoff said, his tone determined.

Bridgette nodded, but said nothing. _Damn right we will, or at least I will,_ she thought. _I'll fucking end this today, if it's the last thing I do._ With that, she turned and headed back upstairs, determined to confront Gideon and refuse his offer.

* * *

Later that day, while the others were distracted with comforting Gwen and Nikki, Bridgette slipped out of the house and made her way over to Gideon's. She had decided to tell him that it was over, that she would not be a part of his games any longer and she was determined to do so no matter what he said. She knew it would not be easy, as Gideon could be quite persuasive, but she didn't care. One way or another she was ending things with Gideon, even if it killed her.

She arrived at his house to find Gideon standing on the front porch, his arms folded across his chest and a sinister gleam in his eyes. His look made her stomach roll and for a moment she fought the urge to vomit, ultimately controlling herself. She mounted the steps, keeping her gaze fixed on his and entered the house before he could extend an invitation.

Silently, Gideon followed her inside and was about to speak when she rounded on him, her eyes flashing. "You fucking bastard." she shouted. "You complete, utter, fucking, shit brained asshole. Why did you kill them? You promised me you'd leave my friends alone if I agreed to join you, so why the fuck did you kill them?"

"I assume by them you are referring to Trent, Jonesy, and D.J.?" Gideon asked.

"Yes, why did you kill them?" Bridgette asked again, her tone demanding.

"You needed motivation." Gideon answered. "When you told me you needed time to reflect on my offer I took that to mean you weren't going to join me. So, I gave you a little motivation, to show you how worthless your friends really are."

"Yeah, well, your plan backfired then." Bridgette snapped. "Because we're done. I'm not going to follow you. I don't care what you do to me, but I won't do it."

"I am disappointed in you Bridgette." Gideon said, with a wicked smile. "I would have thought you'd have realized by now that you are already mine. But, apparently I was wrong to assume that. You are stronger than I give you credit for and you are quite right, my plan to motivate you does seem to have been a failure. You have bested me there Bridgette, but your victory shall be short lived, I assure you."

"Oh yeah?" Bridgette asked, her tone disbelieving. "And why is that?"

"Because I intend to remind you of why you chose to follow me in the first place." Gideon answered, his words sending a shiver down Bridgette's spine.

"It won't work." Bridgette said, her tone defiant. "You killed an innocent girl along with three of my friends. That is something for which I can never forgive you."

"I do not need your forgiveness." Gideon said. "All I need is your loyalty and that I will have. Do not fight me Bridgette, you cannot win."

"Yes, I can." Bridgette said. "I can and I will. I've seen my friends and I know they don't hate me. They love me, they care about me, and I care about them. So do your worst, you won't have me, no matter what you do."

"Is that so?" Gideon mused. "Tell me then Bridgette, if you are so convinced your friends don't hate you then why did you come back to me?"

"I..." Bridgette began before trailing off. "I wanted to tell you it was over." she finished lamely, after a moment of silent contemplation.

Gideon laughed at that. "That's your excuse?" he asked. "That you wanted to tell me that it was over? Really? You really expect me to believe that? Because I don't Bridgette. I know the true reason why you came back to me. You came back because you saw the hatred in their eyes, didn't you? You saw the loathing, the looks of accusation, I know you did."

Bridgette was silent for a moment, her mind struggling to come up with a sarcastic retort. But try as she might, she couldn't think of anything to say, because Gideon was right. She had seen the hatred in her friends eyes. She had seen their looks of accusation and loathing. Just that morning, LeShawna had been on her about considering other possible killers and she had seen the accusations behind LeShawna's comments. And the others had done the same thing at various points, each of them accusing her of something. And as these realizations washed over her she felt a powerful hatred rise from the pit of her stomach, a hatred so overwhelming that she for a moment she felt like turning on Gideon and killing him. But she pushed the hatred aside and turned to face him, her expression a mask of bitter hatred and rage.

"See, I told you I knew." Gideon said, with a smile. "I knew you hadn't lost that hatred I exposed two days ago. So, what will you do with it Bridgette? How will you release your rage?"

"I'll kill them." she replied. "I'll kill them all and piss on their graves."

"Good, good." Gideon mused. "But first, I must make you a disciple of the Order so that you may kill without their knowledge."

Bridgette glanced at him and smiled. "Then tell me." she said. "Tell me, what must I do to become like you, master?"

Gideon didn't answer, but a demonic smile twisted his features as he placed a hand on Bridgette's shoulder. For a moment they were silent and then Gideon answered, "First, you must pass another of my tests. Then your transformation can truly begin."

* * *

The next morning Bridgette awoke to find spots of blood on her pillow. Alarmed, she rushed to bathroom to check for injuries, only to find that she had chewed through her lower lip in her sleep. Confused, she studied the injury for a moment before realizing what hat caused it. The previous day she had returned home from Gideon's flushed with the euphoria of learning the truth, but as the evening had worn on she had begun to question her decision once again. The gnawing of her lip was a manifestation of her internal struggle and was something she had done as a child whenever she was nervous. She hadn't done it in several years and the fact that she had started doing it again told her that this decision to follow Gideon was bothering her more than she had thought. Sighing, she made her way downstairs, moving quietly to avoid disturbing the others.

Once downstairs Bridgette entered the kitchen and made some coffee before making her way to the living room where she turned on the TV. For a few minutes she aimlessly flipped through the channels before coming across a news story about a suspected murder on the CSU campus. Curious, Bridgette chose to watch the story, realizing moments later that the victim being described in the story was Zeke. Her suspicions were confirmed when a picture of Zeke appeared on the screen, making her shudder.

_So, this was your test Gideon,_ she thought. _You killed Zeke last night in the hopes that I wouldn't react, is that it? Because if so, then well done. I'm not fazed at all by this._

A sudden, frantic pounding on the door drew Bridgette out of her thoughts. Sighing, she got up and made her way over to the door, opening it to find Jude, Starr, Beth, and LeShawna standing on the porch, all of them looking stricken. Realizing why they were there she averted her eyes to convey sorrow and invited them inside.

"I assume from your look that you've heard about Zeke?" Beth asked, glancing at Bridgette.

"I have." Bridgette answered, her voice choked with emotion.

At that moment Geoff appeared at the foot of the stairs, Gwen, Nikki, and Lucy right behind him. "What's happened?" he asked, glancing at Bridgette.

"Gideon killed Zeke." she answered. "It's all over the news."

"Oh God." Nikki moaned. "I can't take this anymore. It's too much. Zeke was such a nice guy, why did that bastard have to kill him?"

"I don't know Nik." Bridgette answered. "But he has to have had a reason, just like he does for all of us."

It was then that the Kings, Heather, and Alejandro arrived, all of them shaken by Zeke's murder as well. It was a tragic scene, all of them mourning Zeke, who had been one of the least confrontational members of their group as well as one of the youngest. Very few of them had been overly close with Zeke, but it was still sad to know that he was gone. Making the situation worse was the fact that he had died alone, without anyone to help or support him. Still, despite the sorrow that filled the room, Bridgette was only halfway devastated for a part of her was glad that Zeke was gone, as there was now one less person for her to kill. She didn't mention this to the others, of course, and none of them seemed to notice her lack of sorrow.

"It's never going to end, is it?" Lucy asked, sometime later. "Gideon's just going to keep coming until we've all been wiped out, isn't he?"

"No Lucy, we'll stop him." Bridgette said, her tone full of determination, only some of which was faked. "We'll stop him, I'll make sure of that."

The others seemed to take comfort from Bridgette's words and for a moment she felt a desire to abandon her new path once again. But she reminded herself that Gideon was right, they hated her and she would never again see them as friends.

* * *

Two days after Zeke's death Bridgette met with Gideon once again. Unlike their previous meeting, Bridgette had no intention of attempting to sever her ties with Gideon. Her intention this time was learn more about this mysterious Order he kept referring to and to begin her training in the art of killing. She seemed eager to learn and this seemed to amuse Gideon for some reason, though Bridgette couldn't understand why. Finally, driven past the point of simple curiosity she asked him about his subtle smirks.

"Why do you keep smiling at me, master?" she asked, glancing at him.

"I find it amusing that you have so strongly taken to my philosophy." he answered. "After the way you reacted to the murders of Trent, Jonesy, and D.J., I assumed it would be a much greater struggle to get you to bend to my will."

"Yes, well, I find that fighting against you is futile." she said. "After a great deal of consideration I have decided that your philosophy is one I can follow. I find the idea of killing for power to be intoxicating and I wish to learn all I can from you, master."

Gideon smiled, seeming to like her response. "I am glad to hear that, my disciple." he said. "And I will teach you all that I know, so that you may become like me, one who is capable of mastering death."

"Thank you, master." Bridgette said. "But I do have one question before we proceed."

"What would you like to know?" Gideon asked. "My secrets are yours to have."

"What is this Order you spoke of, master?" Bridgette asked. "Please tell me more about it."

"Ah, unfortunately that is the one thing I cannot tell you about." Gideon said. "You must come to that truth on your own. But do not fear, for you shall learn what the Order is in time."

Bridgette nodded, though she was obviously disappointed. She pushed her disappointment aside however, and allowed Gideon to begin working his charms on her, ultimately surrendering to the passion that had sparked between them.

Several hours later, while laying naked in Gideon's bed, Bridgette asked another question she needed to have answered. "Zeke's murder, that was the test you spoke of, was it not?" she asked.

"Indeed it was." Gideon confirmed. "It was my intention to see if you could keep your friends from becoming suspicious, which you did. It is the beginning of your emotional training, which will culminate with you being able to suppress your emotions so that you can kill without any emotional attachment to your victims."

Bridgette nodded and rolled on top of him to continue their bonding. Gideon smiled and pulled her closer, relishing the fact that she was finally his.

* * *

Over the next several days Bridgette continued her training with Gideon, who seemed to take demented pleasure in her transformation. During the times in which she was not with Gideon, Bridgette continued to practice all that he was teaching her. She was obsessive in her practice, so much so that by the one week mark following Zeke's murder she was all but completely consumed by his philosophy. And then came the first real test of her devotion.

A week and a day after Zeke's murder, Heather arrived at Bridgette's house with the others, an aura of sorrow shrouding them with its oppressive chill. Heather was sobbing, tears splashing from her sightless eyes like rain and Bridgette quickly realized what had happened. Gideon had killed Alejandro as another test and she would pass it even if it killed her. In an effort to keep the others from casting suspicion on her Bridgette was the first to ask what had happened.

"Gideon killed Alejandro." LeShawna responded. "Apparently it happened last night while Heather was sleeping and the sound woke her up."

"Oh God, Heather I am so sorry." Bridgette said, moving to embrace Heather.

"It was horrible Bridgette." Heather sobbed. "I heard Alejandro get up and a couple minutes later I heard him scream. I got out of bed and made my way towards the sound of his voice. It was then that I became aware of his presence. Gideon's, I mean. Of course, I couldn't see him, but I know he was there. He didn't speak to me, he didn't even try to kill me. I tried to...to get...Alejandro back from him, but I slipped on something and fell. By the time I made it back to my feet they were-" Her sentence cut off as she dissolved into tears once again.

"I'm sorry Heather, I truly am." Bridgette said, holding Heather close in an attempt to comfort her. "I promise I will get revenge for you."

"Thank you Bridgette." Heather said, sniffing. "You are a good friend."

"Poor Heather." Gwen said. "First Justin, then Lindsey and Tyler, and now Alejandro. What is she going to do now?"

"She'll manage." Nikki said. "I know Heather. She's strong. She'll manage, despite her blindness. Somehow, she'll pull though this. And we'll be there to help her."

"Damn right we will." Bridgette said, glancing back at Nikki. "We're all going to be there for each other from now on, because we're friends and that's what friends do for each other."

* * *

That night Bridgette met with Gideon again. He seemed pleased with her for passing his latest test and this made her feel warm inside. For a few minutes they simply stared at each other and then Gideon took her hand and led her to his car.

"Where are we going master?" she asked, honestly confused.

"I have something to show you." he said, with a smile.

Bridgette smiled back, excitement rising in her chest. Her excitement only grew as Gideon drove them out of town and into the woods and by the time they finally came to a stop Bridgette's heart was racing. She didn't know what Gideon was going to show her, but whatever it was she could feel that it was something big.

Sure enough, Gideon's surprise was something big, though not exactly what Bridgette had been expecting. He had led her away from the car and they were now standing at the edge of a massive pit. And in that pit lay the bodies of Lindsey, Tyler, Alejandro, Trent, Jonesy, Zeke, D.J., the pizza delivery girl, and two people Bridgette didn't recognize.

"What do you think my disciple?" Gideon asked, glancing at Bridgette.

"I...I think it is amazing." she answered, to awestruck to think of anything else to say.

Gideon smiled, but Bridgette ignored him. She was mesmerized by the sight before her. She had never seen this many dead bodies in one place before and yet she found that she was not repulsed by what she was seeing. She stared at the bodies with a stony look, devoid of all emotion, and marveled at how well preserved they were. She could easily distinguish who each person was, despite how long some of them had been deceased. There was some decay that had set in, but all of the bodies were remarkably well preserved. There were many things that caught her attention, most notably the red dress that Lindsey was wearing. Bridgette puzzled over where Lindsey would have gotten such a dress before realizing that Gideon must have given it to her. The other thing that really drew her attention was the identity of the two people she didn't recognize, whom she quickly realized were Charlie and Lauren Bates, who had been dead the longest of all the bodies in the pit. And yet even they were well preserved. Indeed, one could even tell that Lauren had been pregnant at the time of her death.

For a long time they stood in silence while Bridgette marveled over the sight before her and then she finally turned her attention back to Gideon who was watching her with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

"Tell me master." she said. "Why did we come here? What is it that you wanted to show me in this pit?"

"It was another test my disciple." Gideon answered. "I wanted to see if you had mastered control of your emotions and you passed. You have mastered emotional control and now, my faithful disciple, your transformation is almost complete."

**A/N: Okay, first of all, sorry for the wait on this one. As you can see, it is rather long and it took me longer than expected to write it. Anyway, moving on, you may have noticed how dark this chapter is and I want to assure you there is a reason for that. Also, though it may seem as though Bridgette has gone over to the dark side, do not assume that she is lost just yet. It may be that she is playing Gideon for the fool. But, we shall see. Finally, yes I did kill off Alejandro, D.J., Jonesy, Trent, and Zeke. As usual I understand that this may upset some of you, but please remember my previous statements about keeping things professional when you make reviews. Thank you.**


	19. Death Becomes Her

Two days after Gideon showed her the pit of bodies Bridgette felt the first stirrings of regret over her decision to follow him. She wasn't sure what brought these feelings on, but she was determined not to let them deter her. She had seen the pride in Gideon's eyes when she hadn't flinched at the pit and she knew that she could never get that kind of support from anyone else ever again. She was too invested in the philosophy to turn back now and she would not allow Gideon to see her as a failure. Her transformation was almost complete and her devotion was now unbreakable. For better or worse, this was her life now and she would do whatever it took to keep it that way.

The changes in Bridgette's life hadn't gone unnoticed by her friends, but none of them had said anything about it yet. Still, she could tell that they had seen the changes in her and it worried her that they hadn't confronted her about it yet. She wasn't sure why she was so worried about them, it wasn't like she didn't have a way of keeping them off her trail. But she wondered how long she would be able to keep her association with Gideon a secret. Her friends were exceptionally good at uncovering the truth, especially Nikki and Gwen, and Bridgette was certain it would only be a matter of time before they started asking questions.

As it would turn out, that moment would come sooner rather than later. That morning, as she prepared breakfast, Bridgette was cornered by Geoff who wore a look of concern. "Bridgette, tell me something." he said. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm fine." she said, betraying no hint she was lying. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just worried about you is all." Geoff answered. "Ever since Zeke was killed you've been acting kind of strange and I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"Like I said, I'm fine." Bridgette said. "I may have been a bit more jumpy than usual, but it's just because I'm worried that we'll fail to stop Gideon. I guess I'm afraid we're running out of time to stop him."

Geoff stared at her a moment, his look suggesting suspicion, but when he spoke there was no accusation in his voice. "That makes sense to me." he said. "But don't worry about it Bridge. We'll stop him. I know we will."

Bridgette smiled and Geoff leaned in and kissed her, making her shiver. Geoff seemed not to notice this however and for a moment they embraced, Bridgette forgetting that she was planning to kill him. But as the memory of her plan washed over her she pulled away, not wanting him to see the conflict in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his tone concerned again. "Is it something I did?"

"No, I was just thinking about Gideon." she lied. "I don't want to lose you to his games. I don't think I could handle that."

"Well, like I said, we'll stop him." Geoff said, smiling now. "And don't worry about me, I won't let him take me from you."

_You keep thinking that._ Bridgette thought. _But you know nothing of Gideon's power. He will take you and there is nothing you can do about it._ She didn't voice these thoughts however, as doing so would give away her secrets. Instead, she simply smiled and nodded, before turning to finish making her breakfast. Seemingly content with her reaction Geoff joined her and a short time later they were joined by Nikki, Gwen, and Lucy as well.

"Good morning everyone." Lucy said, as she entered the kitchen, her trademark brilliant smile plastered across her face.

"Good morning Lucy." Bridgette said, with a warm smile of her own.

"So, what are we talking about?" Lucy asked, as she poured herself a bowl of cereal.

"Nothing much." Bridgette answered. "Geoff and I were discussing Gideon a bit, but that's about it. Why, did you have something you wanted to discuss?"

"No, I was just wondering what you had been talking about." Lucy answered. She seemed a little put off by Bridgette's abrupt manner, but chose not to comment on it. Bridgette took this as her sign to drop the conversation as well and Nikki picked up the thread before anyone else could comment on Bridgette's reaction to Lucy's question.

"So, you say you were discussing Gideon." she said. "What specifically did you discuss?"

"I said I was worried we'll fail to stop Gideon and Geoff reassured me that we will." Bridgette answered. "That's really it."

"Okay, well, I hope you two plan on including us in these discussions in the future." Nikki said, glancing at Bridgette before turning back to her toast.

"Yeah, we will." Bridgette said. "Everyone will get their say, trust me." With that, she rose to her feet and walked out of the kitchen, leaving the others to finish their breakfast without her.

* * *

Later that day Bridgette sat alone in her room contemplating her next move. She hadn't heard from Gideon since he had shown her the pit and she wasn't sure what he wanted her to do next. She desperately wanted to move forward down this path, but without Gideon's guidance she wasn't sure how to proceed. She had tried calling him, but he wasn't answering his phone and she was beginning to wonder if he had abandoned her. But that didn't seem to fit with everything he had told her. If she believed all he had said, and she did, then he would never have brought her this far just to abandon her now. But if that was true, then why hadn't she heard from him in two days? She couldn't think of an answer to that question and she found herself getting annoyed with his silence. But calling him wasn't working and she didn't want to bug him, lest he turn on her. So Bridgette chose to sit in silence and wait, hoping that sooner or later her master would tell her what to do next.

A short time later, just as Bridgette was laying down to take a nap, her phone rang. Startled, she groped around on her bed, finally finding her phone just before it went to voicemail. "Hello?" she asked, answering the phone.

"Hello Bridgette." Gideon's silky smooth voice answered. "How are you today, my faithful disciple?"

"Master?" Bridgette asked. "Why haven't you talked to me in two days?"

"I am sorry about that." Gideon answered. "I had some work to do. You will soon see. Now, answer me. How are you?"

"I...I'm fine." Bridgette answered. "What do you mean I'll soon see what you were doing?"

"Meet me at the park near your house tonight and I'll explain everything." Gideon answered. "Now, forgive me, but I must go. I'll speak with you tonight."

"Okay, I'll be there master, I promise." Bridgette said, cringing at the fact that she sounded like a desperate child.

"I know you will." Gideon answered, his tone amused. And then the line went dead as he hung up, leaving Bridgette in a state of shock.

For a long moment Bridgette simply sat in silence clutching her phone like it was the most precious thing in the world. She had her answer. Gideon hadn't been in contact with her because he had been working, but he was still being secretive and she was uncertain she wanted to know why. But she had a feeling this was just another test and she did not want to disappoint her master. So she would meet with him that night and hope that whatever he had planned for her wasn't too horrible.

* * *

That night, as soon as she was certain her roommates were asleep, Bridgette slipped out of the house and made her way to the park. She arrived a few minutes later to find Gideon waiting for her, his arms folded across his chest and a smile on his face. He was leaning against his car and his expression seemed to suggest that he was up to something.

"Hello Bridgette." he said, nodding at her. "How are you this evening?"

"I am fine master." Bridgette answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Because tonight we conclude your transformation." Gideon answered. "Tonight you become a member of the Order."

Bridgette felt her pulse quicken with excitement, though she was still confused. "I'm sorry master, but why would I be worried to join the Order? Isn't that what we've been working towards this whole time?"

"Indeed it is." Gideon answered. "And it is not that you are joining the Order that has me asking about your wellbeing. It is what you must do to achieve membership that drives me to ask such questions of you."

"What must I do?" Bridgette asked, a twinge of fear crawling up her spine.

"You shall find out soon." Gideon answered. "Now please, get in the car."

Bridgette nodded and climbed into the car without another word. Gideon climbed in as well and they drove off, heading towards the northern edge of Fort Columbus. Now Bridgette was really confused. She had thought perhaps they would be returning to the pit, but that was in the opposite direction. So, where were they going? It couldn't be the Halsenburg Mansion, as that was also to the south. And it obviously wasn't Gideon's house, as that was in town. So, where the hell was Gideon taking them? Driven past the point of curiosity Bridgette broke the silence.

"Where are we going master?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"We are going to the old bridge that crosses the White river." Gideon answered, seemingly oblivious to her fear.

His answer only confused Bridgette more. Why were they going to the old bridge? Bridgette knew about the bridge of course. She had been told about it by Dr. McLellen. It was the first bridge that had been built to allow for passage from Fort Columbus across the White river. But the bridge had been abandoned several years earlier when a new one had been built closer to town and as far as Bridgette knew the old bridge was now inaccessible.

"Why are we going to the bridge master?" she asked, still curious.

"We need a place that is secluded enough that we won't be discovered." Gideon answered, as he rounded a bend in the road and the bridge came into view.

The sight took the breath from Bridgette's lungs. The bridge was silhouetted against the moon and was one of the most majestic sights she had ever laid eyes on. For a moment all she could do was stare and then she found her voice again. "Forgive me master, but if we need a secluded location, why didn't we just go to the pit?" she asked.

"Because that area will not work for what we must do." Gideon answered, his tone cryptic. "Don't worry, my disciple, we will not be found here either."

"I am not worried, I am simply curious." Bridgette said, her tone defiant. "What makes the bridge so special that we must conclude my transformation there?"

"Again, you will see soon." Gideon answered. "Patience Bridgette, all will be explained in time, I assure you."

Bridgette nodded and fell silent, though her mind was still buzzing with questions. She turned her attention back to the bridge, wondering how they were going to get to it. The bridge spanned a large canyon and was some two hundred feet above the river, which made it rather difficult to get to. Add on top of that the fact that the road that had once led traffic to the bridge was now closed and Bridgette couldn't see any possible way of getting up to it. But she trusted Gideon and he, undoubtedly, had a plan that would allow them to access the bridge.

Bridgette was so wrapped up in trying to figure out how they would get to the bridge that she didn't notice that they had stopped until she heard Gideon's voice. "We're here Bridgette." he said, his voice drawing her out of her thoughts.

She glanced around and saw that they were parked at one end of the old road. There were large concrete roadblocks preventing them from going any further and a no trespassing sign warning them not to set foot on the old road. Gideon smiled, as though these obstacles were nothing more than minor annoyances and pulled a backpack and two large duffel bags from the trunk. He glanced at Bridgette and nodded before moving towards the roadblocks.

"We go on foot from here." he said, heaving the duffel bags over the roadblock as he spoke. He then turned and offered his hand to Bridgette, who took it without question. With little effort he helped her over the roadblock before climbing over himself. He then gathered the duffel bags and set off up the road, which twisted up the hill before them. Bridgette followed in silence, though she had many questions she desperately wanted to ask.

A short time later they arrived at the top of the hill and found themselves standing before the vast expanse of the bridge. It had fallen into disrepair in the years since it had been abandoned, but Bridgette could tell that it had once been a grand structure, much like the Halsenburg Mansion had once been. Despite its decrepit appearance Bridgette could not help but be amazed by the bridge, and found herself beginning to understand why Gideon had brought them here.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Gideon asked. "I have always liked this bridge and I was rather disappointed when they built the new one."

Bridgette found herself agreeing with him. "Why did they master?" she asked. "Build the new bridge, I mean?"

"They said it would make travel easier, but I think the government of Fort Columbus just doesn't appreciate good architecture." Gideon said, with a wry smile. "Did you know they've talked about tearing down the Halsenburg Mansion?"

Bridgette was appalled by this. She had no particular love for the House that Death Built, as the Halsenburg Mansion was known, but she didn't like the idea that there were people who wanted to tear it down. "It's a historical building." she said. "They can't tear it down."

"Yes, well, try telling that to them." Gideon muttered. "Anyway, discussing architecture is not why I brought you out here. The reasons for visiting this place are much more spiritual than that."

Bridgette's attention immediately turned to him, though he was not looking at her. Instead, he was rummaging in the backpack and for a moment Bridgette thought he had lost his mind. But then he straightened and looked at her, a look of reverence in his eyes. "I have something for you." he said, handing her a large box.

"What is it master?" she asked, taking the box with a small amount of trepidation.

"Open it and find out." Gideon answered, a smile twisting the corners of his mouth.

Trembling slightly, Bridgette set the box on the ground and opened it, the contents making her gasp. Laying in the box was Beth's decapitated head, her eyes still open, blank and staring. There was blood splattered on Beth's glasses and her mouth was agape, as though she had been surprised by something just before her head had been severed from her body. The whole box stank of fresh blood and for a moment Bridgette had to fight the urge to vomit, before remembering why she was there. As this realization washed over her she felt her emotions calm and she turned her now stony gaze towards Gideon, who was smiling.

"Well Bridgette, what do you think?" he asked, his tone amused again.

"I...thank you master." she answered, sensing it was better not to be totally honest about how she felt. "I do have a question however."

"Ask it." Gideon said. "I will answer to the best of my ability."

"Why did you give me Beth's head?" Bridgette asked. "Is this another test?"

"No." Gideon answered. "This is the first part of the ritual that will make you a member of the Order." With that he turned and opened the first of the duffel bags, from which he drew a large, pointed iron spike which he attached to a base that contained two small cone shaped cups at the bottom of the spike.

"What is that?" Bridgette asked, staring at the spike in amazement.

"This is a ceremonial spike." Gideon answered. "It is used for the ritual of indoctrination into the Order. Now, take Beth's head and impale it on the spike."

Bridgette hesitated a moment before following his instructions. Before she could stop herself again she drove Beth's head onto the spike with all of her might. Beth's skull cracked as the point of the spike broke through the top of her head and blood ran down the sides of the spike all the way to the bottom where it began collecting in the cups. As she watched this Bridgette found herself devoid of emotion and a moment later she smiled as she realized what was about to happen.

Seeing this, Gideon stepped forward and removed the cups from the base before handing one to Bridgette. "And now the ritual begins." he said, raising his cup into the air. He fixed Bridgette with an intense stare and continued. "Bridgette, when you came to me you were a weak, frightened, child who had no idea her friends were out to kill her. Today, you are a woman, trained in arts of the darkness and devoted to the philosophy of the Order. By drinking the blood of this former friend you complete your transformation and become forever a servant of the darkness. Do you accept these terms? Are you willing to forsake all that you have known for the Order?"

"I am, master." Bridgette answered, her tone full of awe and wonder.

"Than drink and become one with the shadows." Gideon said, bringing his cup to his lips.

Bridgette followed suit, gulping Beth's blood as though it was lifesaving water. Much to her surprise she did not gag, instead finding the flavor of the blood to be sweet and satisfying. When she was finished she lowered her cup and stared at Gideon, blood dripping from her chin. She licked the blood from her lips and smiled, which Gideon returned with one of his own.

"And so, death becomes her." he murmured. "You are now a disciple of the Order of Blood and Shadows."

Bridgette smiled again, her new path becoming clear in her minds eye. For a moment she stood in silence, drinking in the euphoria of this new life she was living and then she noticed Gideon was holding two swords and all feeling left her. "Why do you have swords?" she asked.

"This is your final test." Gideon answered. "You must fight me, your master, and best me in combat or your acceptance into the Order will not be recognized by the other members."

"But...but I don't...I don't want to." Bridgette said, her tone pleading. "I don't want to fight you master. What if I hurt you?"

"You do not have a choice." Gideon said. "You must fight me and you must win, or you will never realize your full potential." With that, he tossed one of the blades at her feet and drew his own, a smile on his face.

Bridgette hesitated again before picking up the blade, though she refused to draw it. Despite all she had just gone through she felt a powerful urge to run and never think about this again. But she could see the look in Gideon's eyes and she knew that to run now would be a death sentence.

"Come now Bridgette." Gideon said. "Draw your blade and fight me. It is the only way."

Reluctantly Bridgette drew her blade and stepped towards him, her hands trembling like they never had before. And then he was on her, his blade meeting hers with such force that Bridgette felt her knees buckle and her butt hit the ground. Stunned, she clumsily lifted her blade to defend against his next blow before managing to roll out of his reach. She struggled to her feet and swung at his head, missing by inches as he dodged her blow.

For the next several minutes they traded blows, with Bridgette gaining more confidence with each swing. Her blade found his flesh on several occasions, though his also found her flesh and within minutes they were both bleeding from multiple wounds. Bridgette was breathing heavily, a stabbing pain in her side as she tried to catch her breath, but Gideon would not let up.

"You are doing well." he said, his tone full of pride. "I knew you would hold your own in this battle. But let us see if you can finish it."

No sooner had he finished speaking and Bridgette was on him, driving him backwards towards the edge of the bridge. The battle fever had completely consumed her and she smiled as he shrank against her relentless onslaught. She saw that he was smiling as well, which only made her more relentless and before she knew what she was doing she drove her blade into his midsection, twisting it to maximize the damage.

For a moment they stood in silence, Bridgette's blade buried in Gideon's gut, and then Gideon coughed, blood dribbling from his mouth. "Well done Bridgette." he said, his voice weak. "I knew you could do it."

She stared at him in horror, appalled by what she had just done. She moved to release her blade, but Gideon's look stopped her. "No, draw the blade from my body." he said. "It is yours. Use it to fulfill your destiny."

Bridgette did as she was told, fighting the urge to cry as she pulled the blade from his gut. He gasped and she felt the tears brim over and roll down her cheeks. He reached up and wiped them away. "Do not cry, my disciple." he said. "You...are a member of the Order now. Crying is not...allowed. You have...succeeded. You are now the...Disciple...of Darkness. Do not be sad for this is not the end. We will see each other again in some other life." He smiled then before stepping backwards off the bridge.

Bridgette watched him fall, her eyes wide, her blade still clutched in her hands, Gideon's final words echoing in her mind.

**A/N: And that's that. The transformation is now complete. Or is it? As with the previous chapter, don't just assume that Bridgette has bent to Gideon's will. It may be that she was just playing along to get a chance to kill him, but that remains to be seen. Also, I realize that this chapter is a little fucked up with the ritual and the drinking of blood and all that. I just wanted to clarify that all of that was done for dramatic effect and was not meant to represent any sort of real ritual (oh, and I don't do that kind of stuff in real life, either). Just wanted to make that clear so no one gets the wrong impression.**


	20. The Next Disciple

Bridgette stood in silence for several minutes, staring over the edge of the bridge into the dark abyss below. She was too shocked to speak and even if she'd had something to say there was no one around to hear her. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Gideon had brought her up here to complete her transformation and by all accounts he had succeeded. But Bridgette was still in a state of bewilderment. After leading her through the ritual of transformation Gideon had goaded her into fighting him and she had impaled him, only to have him step off the bridge and plunge into the water below. But what Bridgette couldn't understand was why. Why had he done that? Why had he invested so much time in her only to have her kill him? What was the purpose of this test? As far Bridgette could tell there was no purpose. Gideon had simply wanted to die and he had used her as his means to an end. And as this realization hit her Bridgette began to cry, tears streaming down her cheeks in a torrent, her blade slipping from her numb fingers. The blade hit the ground with a clatter and a second later Bridgette collapsed as well, her shock and sorrow consuming her in a shroud of darkness.

Sometime later Bridgette came to, her head pounding and her ribs aching from all the crying. For a moment she forgot where she was, but the memory quickly returned. She glanced around, wondering what time it was, and saw that sun was just beginning to rise. Fear gripped her as she realized she had been gone all night. Her roommates would freaking out by now and she knew she was facing an interrogation when she got home, which didn't exactly lift her spirits. And as this realization hit her she started crying again. It was all too much to deal with. Everything Gideon had taught her, his demise, her friends anger with her, it was all too much. And as these painful thoughts clashed in her mind she was gripped with a sudden, powerful urge to end it all. But before she could throw herself off the bridge something else gripped her mind, the memory of Gideon's final words.

_Do not be sad, for this is not the end,_ he had said. _We will see each other again in some other life._ Bridgette felt herself calm as these words passed through her mind. Gideon was right, of course. They would see each other again and somehow that knowledge gave Bridgette comfort. She couldn't explain how or why, she only knew that she was comforted. And yet, she was still uncertain about how to proceed. She had expected Gideon to be there, to provide aid and advice should she need it, as she began this dark new chapter of her life. But he was gone and she was now alone in the world, forced to face her task on her own. But was that really the case? Was Gideon really dead? Surely a man like him didn't just roll over and die. Perhaps he was still alive, despite the fall.

Struck by a sudden inspiration, Bridgette grabbed her blade and shoved it back into its sheath before making her way back to the road. She left the duffel bags behind, along with the ceremonial spike and Beth's head, which was still impaled atop the spike. As she reached the road, Bridgette paused and weighed her options. She had two paths stretching out before her and which one she chose to follow would determine her fate. She could choose to follow the darkness, to see what had become of Gideon and how his training had changed her. Or she could ignore all that she had learned from him and return to her friends, though rebuilding her life would be difficult given all that had happened. Ultimately she decided to follow the darkness, deciding to climb down the side of the cliff to search for Gideon instead of returning to town.

As it turned out, Bridgette's climb down to the river would not be nearly as difficult as she had anticipated. There was a narrow trail that wound its way down the side of the hill and though it was hard to see and slick with moss, it made for a much safer climb than bare rock would have. Using her sheathed blade as a walking stick Bridgette carefully made her way down the trail, pausing occasionally to marvel at the expanse of the bridge above her. Even now she could see why Gideon had liked this bridge so much. It was a beautiful piece of architecture, masterfully crafted and exquisitely designed by someone who obviously knew their craft. But, though the bridge was marvelous, it was not Bridgette's primary concern and no matter how much she marveled at it she was equally mindful of her real reason for climbing down here. To that end she constantly glanced around for any sign of Gideon, but so far she had found none and she was beginning to accept that he was gone.

When she reached the bottom she paused again, her breathing heavy as though she had just run a marathon. She glanced up at the bridge and shuddered, wondering what had made her think anyone could survive a fall from up there. She shook her head and turned her attention to the river, which was deep and fast moving making her chances of finding Gideon all the slimmer. Still, she would not give up hope. No matter how slim the chances, there was still a chance that he was alive, and that was enough to keep her motivated.

However, the more she searched the more discouraged she became and before too long the voices in her head were speaking to her again. _"Come on Bridgette," _one voice asked. _"Why are you doing this? You know no one could survive that fall." _

_"I don't know that," _another voice answered. _"This is Gideon Hall we're talking about here. There is a possibility he could still be alive."_

_"No, there isn't,"_ the first voice said. _"That fall was over two hundred feet. No person on Earth can survive a fall like that."_

"Shut up." Bridgette said aloud. "You don't know what you're talking about. Gideon is still alive, he has to be."

This declaration was met by silence and for a moment Bridgette thought she'd convinced herself. But then the doubt returned and she felt her resolve falter. Her mind was right, of course. No one could survive a fall from two hundred feet, no one normal at least. But Gideon wasn't exactly normal and Bridgette still refused to believe that he was gone.

_"But what about the stab wound you gave him?"_ the first voice asked. _"Even if he did survive the fall, that wound will certainly kill him."_

"No, it won't." she said, speaking aloud again. "He can take care of that. He's not dead, he can't be dead. I still need him. I can't fulfill my destiny without him."

The voice in her mind just laughed at that. _"You still believe that was Gideon's purpose for training you?"_ the voice asked. _"You really are an idiot. Gideon's aim was never to make you his disciple, it was to make you believe he cared about you so you would be destroyed from within."_

"No, that's not true." Bridgette said aloud. "I am the next disciple. I am meant to follow in Gideon's footsteps. It is my destiny and I will see it fulfilled."

_"No Bridgette, it is not your destiny."_ the voice said. _"It is not your destiny to kill your friends. You have been deceived and you are a fool to believe otherwise."_

"NO, SHUT UP!" Bridgette shouted. "I won't listen to you any more. Gideon is my master and I will do what he trained me to do, even if it kills me."

The voice in her head was silent then and Bridgette stood, breathing heavily again, waiting for the chaos in her mind to settle. After a moment of silent rest she moved to continue her search, though there was still no sign of Gideon anywhere. But Bridgette would not give up, not until she was absolutely certain he was gone.

An hour later, nearly a mile down river from the bridge, Bridgette finally found something. There, half buried in the muddy bank of the river, was Gideon's blade and nearby on some rocks were splatters of red which made Bridgette's breath catch in her throat.

"Blood." she whispered to herself. "But how can I be sure it's his?" She puzzled over this question for several minutes before deciding that there was no way she could know for sure if the blood was Gideon's or not. Still, it was a positive sign and Bridgette felt a calm settle in the pit of her stomach. If this was indeed Gideon's blood than he had made it out of the river, which left open the possibility that he was still alive. Bridgette knew it was a remote possibility, but it was enough for now. There was no sense in trying to find a trail and she decided to make her way back to the car, content that Gideon could still be out there somewhere, biding his time.

An hour later, she arrived back at the car, her whole body aching from her long search. Exhausted beyond measure she collapsed on the hood of the car and drifted off to sleep, though her mind was still racing. While she slept dreams filled her head with images of Gideon and Geoff and Duncan, all of them urging her to pursue different paths. They were all shouting at her and she was overwhelmed by their insistence, so overwhelmed that she found herself drawing a knife, which she then plunged into her abdomen.

She gasped and snapped awake then, her hands moving to the wound, only to find that there was no wound. It had all been a dream and Bridgette was now left to try and piece it together. What had the dream meant? Why had Geoff and Duncan been there? And what was it that each of these men wanted her to do? Bridgette could find no answers, but they were closer than she suspected. Even so, the dream had reawakened the voice in her head and she was beginning to doubt her path once again. Determined to escape from her demons she hopped into the car, finding the keys still in the ignition. Grateful she started the engine, but before she could put the car in reverse she noticed an envelope laying on the dashboard. Curious, she killed the engine and grabbed the envelope, tearing it open with trembling hands.

Inside was a letter from Gideon which read, _Dear Bridgette, I am sorry it must end this way. It has been a pleasure teaching you the ways of the darkness and I know you will make me proud. Unfortunately, this is how it must end. By the time you read this you will be a member of the Order and I will be gone, though weather I will be dead or not I cannot say. All that matters is that you show no fear and fulfill your destiny. I know you can, it is only a matter of putting your mind to it. I have faith in you and weather we see each other again or not I will always be with you. May the darkness be your guide. Sincerely, Gideon._

Bridgette stared at the letter, her hands trembling as she fought to hold back the tears. All that Gideon had said on the bridge had been true. Their fight had been the only way to proceed and now she was the Disciple of Darkness. And as this realization washed over her she felt her resolve strengthen once again.

"That's right." she said aloud as she started the car. "I am the next disciple and I will fulfill my destiny, no matter what it takes." With that, she threw the car into reverse and headed back towards Fort Columbus, her dark destiny driving her forward.

**A/N: Well, as you can see, Bridgette is beginning to lose her mind or so it would seem. But is she really going bonkers and will she really follow Gideon's path? Well, you'll just have to wait to find out. By the way, I'm sorry this chapter is so short. It could have been longer, but I felt like I had gotten all needed to get out in what you just read. Also, this will likely be the final chapter I post this year as Christmas is almost upon us and I have plans for after Christmas that will eat up most of my time. However, there is a chance I will get at least one more chapter up, but that depends on how my post Christmas plans go. So, with that in mind, I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (or Happy Holidays if you don't celebrate Christmas) and I'll see you all in 2013 (assuming the world doesn't end on Friday, which it won't).**


	21. On the Hunt

Bridgette arrived back at the house to find that none of her roommates were home. For a moment panic gripped her before she realized they were likely out looking for her. It would not be surprising if they were. After all, she had been gone all morning and most of the previous night, so her friends were likely in a state of panic by now. But now that she thought about it Bridgett found that she didn't care. She had more important things to worry about at the moment and she couldn't be bothered by how her friends felt. She was the next disciple and she felt sudden shame for having panicked when she had realized her friends weren't home. Gideon would never have panicked and she shouldn't either, especially when it came to her friends. She had to be strong and resilient or she would never fulfill her destiny. And if she didn't do that, then everything she had gone through with Gideon would have been a waste of time.

With this knowledge buzzing in her head Bridgette made her way inside. She was intent on living up to Gideon's legacy, but she needed more answers first and she knew exactly where to find them. But before she would allow herself to go on the hunt she had to clean herself up first. She had spent nearly twenty four hours outside and was covered in mud, grime, and blood. If she went out now people would surely notice and her hunt would end before it could begin. So, she would tame the chaos in her mind for now and focus on the basic necessities like bathing and finding something to eat before she pursued her destiny any further.

Once inside, Bridgette made her way up to her room where she peeled off her filthy cloths, depositing them in the corner of the room. She then crossed the hallway and entered the bathroom, where she finished undressing before climbing into the shower. She stood in the shower for several minutes, lost in thought, the water cascading down on her naked body, before realizing that her friends could return home at any moment. She quickly finished showering and dressed before she was completely dry before making her way down to the kitchen, her stomach rumbling with hunger. She rummaged through the cupboards, finding some chips and crackers which she devoured with a frantic urgency unlike any she had ever known before. Then, her basic desires satisfied for the moment, she made her way back up to her room, her mind still frantically searching for the answers to her questions.

But though the questions were firmly lodged in her mind, Bridgette couldn't seem to find the answers, no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't even figure out where to begin her search, though she knew everything tied back to Gideon somehow. But how? How did Gideon fit in to all of this? What was the Order of Blood and Shadows? How had he known she would follow him? And why was she the one who had to fulfill this dark destiny? Add on top of that the fact that Bridgette's new role meant she had to kill her friends and it was amazing she had gone insane already.

"Fuck." she muttered to the silence. "How did Gideon do this? How was he able to shoulder this burden and make it work?"

_But you already know how he did it, _a voice in her head said. _He taught you all you needed to know on that bridge. Now all you have to do is follow through._

"But how?" Bridgette asked aloud. "I don't even know if I can do what he wants me to do." There was desperation in her voice and she could feel the doubt creeping back into her mind. "How am I supposed to follow through with his plans when I don't even have all the answers?"

_"Let the darkness be your guide." _Gideon's voice said, speaking in her mind. _"If you follow the darkness, it will lead you to the answers you seek. You know what you must do Bridgette and you know who you must do it to. All that is left is for you to do it. Don't worry about the hows and whys, they will come to you in time. Trust the darkness and become what you have always been destined to be. Only then will it all make sense."_

Bridgette sat in silence for a moment, trying to process Gideon's words. He was right, of course. She did know what she had to do, but she still wanted all the answers before she did it, in case there was something Gideon hadn't told her. However she realized it was futile to wait for the answers to come to her and decided to make her next move without all the answers. But where to start? Who should she go after first? Her first thought was to wait at home until Nikki, Gwen, Geoff and Lucy returned, but she quickly realized that plan was flawed. With all four of them there she would have little chance of taking any of them down before they stopped her. So she turned to the next most logical plan, which was to target someone who was alone. Unfortunately, that left her with few options as most of the others were in groups as well. Jude and Starr would undoubtedly be together and it would be foolish to go after the Kings. Which left Heather and LeShawna, but Heather would likely have someone watching her so LeShawna was the only logical choice.

With her target now determined Bridgette left the house, only to stop again once she had reached the car. Doubt and fear gripped her again and she could feel her determination waning. She took a moment to try and steady herself, but ultimately failed as the doubt took hold of her with an iron fist. She couldn't do it. She couldn't kill LeShawna or anyone else and as this realization washed over her she curled up into a ball and began to cry, all of her frustration and sorrow pouring out of her once again. She couldn't do it and she knew this was the end of her destiny.

* * *

A short time later, somewhere across town, LeShawna sat waiting for Jude and Starr to come get her. They, like the others, had been out all morning searching for Bridgette and LeShawna had stopped to take a break while Jude and Starr continued the search. But it had been nearly an hour since she had last seen them and she was starting to get annoyed.

"Damn it, where are you guys?" she muttered, glancing at her phone again.

There were no messages from either Jude or Starr and LeShawna was now certain they had forgotten about her, which she couldn't really blame them for given Bridgette's disappearance. Still, a text to let her know they weren't coming back would have been nice. But there was nothing and LeShawna was tired of sitting around waiting so she decided to head back to Bridgette's house with the hope that she'd get the chance to chastise Jude and Starr later.

No sooner had LeShawna started walking when her phone buzzed, drawing her to a stop. Irritated, she pulled her phone from her pocket and read the text, which said, _Hey LeShawna, meet us at the old warehouse we passed this morning. _

LeShawna studied the text for a moment, confused. The message wasn't from Jude's number, nor was it from Starr's, but that didn't make any sense. They were the only two she had been with the entire morning, so how could the text not be from one of them? She supposed it could be a trick, but that didn't make sense either. The only person who would trick her like that was Gideon and as far as she knew Gideon was with Bridgette. That was the reason she was out here searching after all, wasn't it? LeShawna knew that it was, as the only reason Bridgette would have disappeared was because Gideon had taken her. But then, who had sent her the text? Maybe it was Jude or Starr and they had just used a different phone. That didn't make sense either, but it was a more logical explanation than anything else she had thought of so LeShawna decided to heed the text and head to the warehouse.

A short time later she arrived at the warehouse, finding the door open which made her pause. It seemed suspicious that the door of an abandoned warehouse would just be open like that, but then again it would be open if Jude and Starr had gone inside. LeShawna decided that was as good an explanation as any and entered the warehouse, her senses on high alert in case there was a trap waiting for her inside.

"Jude?" she called, after a moment of silent searching. "Starr? Where are you guys?"

No answer came and for a moment LeShawna was filled with a terrible dread, but she quickly pushed it aside. She couldn't afford to freak out now, not when her friends might be in danger. Swallowing her fear, LeShawna pushed deeper into the warehouse only to be stopped again by a spine-chilling laugh that cut through the gloomy haze within the building.

"Who's there?" she asked, fear in her voice. "Show yourself or I swear I'll kill you." As she said this LeShawna remembered, much to her chagrin, that she did not have a weapon of any kind and so had no way to defend herself.

The laughter echoed off the walls again and this time LeShawna ran, her fear taking her back towards the entrance. She had only made it a few steps when a sharp pain lanced through her side, bringing her to a stop. She reached down and clutched her ribs for a moment, her hand coming away bloody. "Oh God." she gasped, fear now consuming her mind. She turned to run again, only to have the sharp point of a blade jab her between the shoulder blades. The tip of the blade poked out of her chest, blood dripping from it in a steady pulse.

LeShawna gasped as the blade was withdrawn from her body, her right hand rising to clutch at the wound in her chest. "Please..." she gasped. "Don't do...this. Please...let me...live." She heard the laughter again and then felt the blade against her throat. She caught sight of a dark figure out of the corner of her eye just before the blade sliced across her throat and then everything went dark and the floor rushed up to meet her, blood spraying everywhere. LeShawna felt herself clutch at her throat and heard her final gasping breath before the darkness took her completely, sending her spiraling into the cold black abyss of death.

* * *

Later that afternoon Bridgette returned home to find her friends waiting for her. After spending some time crying in the car she had gone for a walk to clear her head and had ended up wandering all over town. The walk had done little to clear her mind, but it had given her a new perspective of her situation, one that she intended to examine more closely when she had the chance. Unfortunately she would not get that chance now, for her friends were waiting and all of them looked less than happy to see her. She smiled at them as she entered the house, though none of them returned the gesture, not that she had been expecting them to.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Geoff demanded, his tone somewhere between relief and anger. "We've been out looking for you all day. We thought Gideon had taken you."

"I was looking for him." Bridgette lied. "I left last night to try and find him so I could stop him before he kills any more of us."

"Oh really?" Nikki asked. "And how did that go? Did you find him?"

"No, unfortunately I wasn't able to locate him." Bridgette answered.

"Well what the fuck Bridgette?" said Gwen. "Why did you go after him alone?"

"I just told you, so he wouldn't have a chance to kill any more of us." Bridgette answered.

For a moment it seemed like the others weren't going to buy her story and then Geoff spoke again, his tone much calmer now. "Well, okay." he said. "We appreciate you looking out for us Bridgette, but next time let us know what you're up to, okay?"

"Will do." Bridgette said, with an apologetic nod. "Sorry I didn't tell you guys what I was doing, but I didn't want to take the risk."

"We understand." Nikki said, though she looked like she didn't quite believe Bridgette's story. Bridgette decided to ignore this and instead turned her attention to other matters.

"Hey, where's LeShawna?" she asked, glancing around the room.

Her question was met by silence and then Geoff glanced at her. "She's dead." he said, his voice hollow.

"What?" Bridgette asked, her tone distraught. "When did she die?"

"Earlier today." Geoff answered. "Like I said, we were all out looking for you and it seems Gideon lured her to an abandoned warehouse where he slit her throat. Jude and Starr found her."

"Oh God." Bridgette said, her tone horrified as she glanced at Jude and Starr. "I am so sorry you guys had to find her like that. If I had just found him last night I could have killed him and LeShawna would still be alive."

"Hey, don't blame yourself Bridgette." said Jude. "Starr and I shouldn't have left her alone. If anyone is to blame, it's us." Starr nodded in agreement, her gaze fixed on the floor.

"No, the only one to blame here is Gideon." Geoff said. "He's the killer and we will stop him before he can take anyone else."

The others nodded in agreement, though Bridgette was only half paying attention. Something about the conversation with her friends had led her to one of the answers she sought and her mind was now trying to find a way to get there, for it was the only way she could learn the whole truth. One way or another she had to get to Gideon's house, if she could only find a way to do it without alerting her friends to her activities. She didn't know how she would do it or how she knew what she knew, but she was certain that the house held all the secrets of the Order of Blood and Shadows.

**A/N: Okay, well, I'm back folks! Sorry it's been so long since I last updated, but I've been a little busy lately. My brother and I got a bunch of really cool DVDs for Christmas and we've been spending most of our time watching them. I hope you all enjoyed your holidays, by the way. Anyway, I'm back now and things should start picking up again as we move towards the shocking conclusion of this fic. Also, look for the sequel to A Place Called Home, as well as part 1 of the Akatsuki Comedy Hour sometime in the next week or two. Oh, one last thing, the title of this chapter refers to Bridgette's search for the truth mainly (it may refer to other things as well, but I'll reveal that later).  
**


	22. The Order of Blood and Shadows

The next morning Bridgette woke to find Geoff staring at her with a look of longing and love. She smiled at him in spite of herself, his devotion touching her in a way she couldn't explain. She wasn't particularly happy with him at the moment, but she couldn't help being taken in by his charms despite the fact that his devotion had prevented her from heading to Gideon's house the previous night. Geoff had kept her close the entire night and she had not been able to sneak away. She knew why he wasn't leaving her alone but she was quite irritated with him, for the longer she went without knowing the truth the more maddening the buzz in her brain became. But Geoff showed no signs of leaving her alone and she realized she would have to create her own opening if she wanted any chance of making it to Gideon's house in the near future.

"Hey babe." Geoff said, his voice bringing her back to reality. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm fine." she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you were gone for so long yesterday and then there was the news of LeShawna's death." Geoff answered. "I guess I was just wondering if you've recovered from the shock of all that."

"Yeah, I have." Bridgette said, with another grateful smile. "I mean, okay, the pain of losing LeShawna is still pretty fresh, but other than that, I'm fine."

"I'm glad to hear that." Geoff said, with a warm smile. "Because I hate seeing you in pain. Also, I was wondering if you'd be up to doing something together today, since we haven't had much time to ourselves lately."

Bridgette paused for a moment, considering his proposal. On the one hand she did want to spend some time with him before the end, but on the other hand she had her overpowering desire to uncover the truth to deal with. Ultimately she decided her search for the truth was more important and gave Geoff her answer. "Gee, I'd really like to but I have other stuff to do today." she said, with an innocent smile.

"What other things?" Geoff asked, confused. "You're not going after Gideon alone again, are you?" The look on his face as he asked this was one of pleading and for a moment Bridgette felt her resolve falter.

Quickly pushing aside her guilt she looked at him and said, "No, of course not. I just need to spend some time working on classes and clearing my head. But I promise you, I won't go after Gideon alone again, okay?"

"Okay." Geoff said, visibly relieved. "I'll let you clear your head for a while. We'll hang out tomorrow or something." He leaned in and kissed her then before turning to leave, the touch of his lips making her shiver.

As soon as Geoff was gone Bridgette set about preparing herself for the day. She wasn't sure how long it would take her to uncover the truth about the Order, but she wanted to be prepared for anything so she made sure to grab some paper and a pencil in case there was anything she needed to write down. Food and water weren't a major concern, as Gideon's house was well stocked and she was certain that even if he was still alive no one had been in the house since sometime before their trip to the bridge. She dressed in plain, unassuming clothing to avoid drawing attention to herself and made her way downstairs, only to be stopped by Nikki, Gwen, and Lucy.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Lucy asked, eying Bridgette with a hint of suspicion.

"I bet she's going after Gideon again." Gwen said, before Bridgette could answer.

"No, I'm not." Bridgette said, her tone more defensive than she had meant it to be.

"Bullshit." said Nikki. "You're sneaking out to go after Gideon again and we're not going to let you go. Not after what happened yesterday."

"Let her go guys." Geoff said from behind them. "She's not going after Gideon. She just wants some time alone to clear her head after everything that's happened."

Nikki and Gwen both stared at him, shocked, while Lucy continued to stare at Bridgette as though she was trying to read Bridgette's mind. Finally, after several tense minutes, Lucy turned to the others and said, "We should let her go. She and Geoff are telling the truth."

"How do you know that?" Nikki asked, confused.

"I've known Bridgette my entire life." Lucy answered. "I can tell when she's lying and she's not doing it now. We have to let her go."

Nikki reluctantly nodded and Bridgette stepped around them, giving Lucy a grateful smile as she did so. She wasn't sure what had changed Lucy's mind, but she didn't really care. All that mattered was that she was now free to pursue the answers she sought without any further interruptions by her friends. Still, she couldn't help being grateful for Lucy's sudden change of opinion, as it had helped her get out of the situation without resorting to violence.

She climbed into Gideon's car, which was still parked in front of the house, and started the engine before glancing back at the porch to make sure the others hadn't followed her. She then pulled away from the curb and drove to Gideon's house, arriving a short time later to find the house dark and silent. Wishing to avoid being seen she pulled the car into the driveway and entered the house through the back door, which Gideon always left unlocked.

The house was eerily silent and there was a stillness to the air that reminded Bridgette of the Halsenburg Mansion. Bridgette shivered at this, for even now the memory of the mansion and what she'd found there made her want to cry. But she didn't have time for crying now. No, now the only thing on her mind was finding the answers to her questions and with that in mind she began searching the house. She stared her search in the living room, but found nothing and quickly moved on to the bedrooms, which were upstairs. She had only been upstairs once during her previous visits to this place and she had been so wrapped up in Gideon's teachings that she hadn't payed much attention to how the rooms were laid out. But she was certain the information she sought would be up here somewhere and there were only a few rooms to search so it couldn't be that hard to find the answers.

The first room Bridgette entered was the master bedroom, which she now realized had once belonged to Charlie and Lauren Bates, before Gideon had killed them. As she glanced around the room she noticed the dried bloodstains on the carpet, realizing with a shock that this was the exact spot where Lauren Bates had died. Gideon had told her how he had killed them, but she had never given it much thought until now. Somehow seeing the bloodstains made their deaths more real, despite the fact that she had already seen their bodies in the pit in the woods. Shaking her head, Bridgette moved to the desk beside the bed, opening the drawers one by one until she found something that caught her attention. There, in the bottommost drawer was a battered leather folder with a handwritten label on it that said, _Secrets of the Order_.

Bridgette felt her breath catch in her throat, her eyes widening with anticipation as she reached into the drawer and lifted the folder from its resting place. Beneath it was another folder, this one made of paper, which was simply labeled _Gideon Hall_. Curious, Bridgette set the first folder aside and retrieved the second one as well. She wasn't sure what the folder labeled with Gideon's name was about, but it likely had something to do with the Order of Blood and Shadows. The first folder certainly did and Bridgette felt her level of excitement rise as she carried the folders back down to the living room, keenly aware of just how close to the truth she actually was.

Once she was in the living room Bridgette set the folders on the coffee table and turned on a lamp before sitting on the couch. She took a moment to calm herself and then she opened the folder labeled with Gideon's name. What she found inside was not quite what she had been expecting, but it would be helpful nonetheless. Inside the folder was a stack of papers that looked like court documents and arrest reports, as well as a psych evaluation. For a moment Bridgette was confused. Why would Gideon have his own arrest reports and court documents? More importantly, how had he gotten a hold of them? As far as Bridgette knew these kinds of documents were usually sealed by the court and it took special clearance to even get a glimpse of them. But the more she thought about it the more she realized this was Gideon she was talking about and he undoubtedly had a way of getting his hands on these kinds of documents no matter what the usual protocol was. That still didn't answer the question of why he had them, but Bridgette was certain she would soon find out.

As she began flipping through the documents she started to get a better picture of exactly who Gideon Hall was. Apparently he had been raised by an abusive father and an indifferent mother who had made his childhood more painful than it had needed to be. But what was more interesting to Bridgette than Gideon's history was what was written in the psych evaluation. The words on the page didn't tell Bridgette anything she hadn't already figured out, but she hadn't seen the description of Gideon's mental state written out in such a clinical fashion and she found it interesting to see what professionals had said about him.

_...subject exhibits sociopathic tendencies as well as a startling talent for manipulation,_ one part of the evaluation said. _This, coupled with the subject's self destructive behavior, is, in my estimation, the main reason why the subject acts out in a violent manner. The subject seems to derive pleasure from committing acts of violence, especially against others. It is my recommendation that the subject be monitored for the duration of his time in prison. Dr. A. Kominski._

Bridgette was stunned to learn how seemingly insane Gideon had been, but she couldn't be too surprised. After all, she had seen him face to face and she had to admit the report wasn't that far from the truth. Gideon was indeed a master of manipulation and a sociopath, but she found the fact that someone who had no understanding of why he was that way had so coldly judged him to be a bit unfair. It was then that she noticed that the doctor who had conducted the evaluation, Dr. Aubrey Kominski, had died under mysterious circumstances nearly a year after Gideon had been sentenced to prison. She also noticed the court documents from his trial. In particular her attention was caught by the photos of the four victims. Each photo was paired with a name and Bridgette found herself staring at them in fascination. There were two women, Kayla Ross and Aurora Grambling, and two men, Mike Morris and David Allman. It was apparent that each of these people had a personal connection with Gideon, but Bridgette couldn't draw the connection until she flipped to the next page in the stack.

It was here that Bridgette learned exactly who these four individuals had been. Kayla Ross had been Gideon's former girlfriend and the two had split under acrimonious circumstances. Aurora Grambling had been Gideon's girlfriend at the time of her death and Bridgette was surprised he had killed her, until she read the next entry. David Allman had been Gideon's friend until he had an affair with Aurora. Mike Morris had bullied Gideon in high school and Gideon had killed him out of revenge. Along with the information about who these individuals had been there were pictures of the crime scenes from their murders. Each of them had been killed in extremely gruesome and horrific ways that showed the extent of Gideon's cruelty. The photos of Kayla showed her body slumped in the corner of a dimly lit room, her hands and feet bound. Blood was splattered across the wall behind her and their were multiple gunshot wounds to her torso and head. There were also signs of torture, including signs that Gideon had repeatedly shocked her before killing her. The photos of Aurora, Mike, and David showed similar scenes, though it appeared Gideon had tortured each of them in different ways. The photos of Mike's mangled corpse were particularly disturbing as Gideon had not only tortured him, but appeared to have taken pleasure in the act as well. One photo showed a message scrawled in blood on the floor beside Mike's body that read, _Payback is a bitch. Looks like I'm the better man, cuz I took his manhood before I killed him._ The evidence in the folder seemed to support this, as there was a note from the coroner that mentioned that Mike had been castrated before being killed.

As Bridgette finished reading the file on Gideon's crimes she found herself fighting the urge to vomit. He had never told her anything about any of what she had just read and to learn just how cruel and violent he was made her shudder knowing that he had worked to turn her into something just as sadistic. But she couldn't falter now, not when she still had the other folder to comb through for information. Knowing this, she took a deep breath to calm herself before turning her attention to the folder labeled_ Secrets of the Order_.

Truthfully, Bridgette wasn't sure she wanted to know what was in the folder anymore, but she forced herself to open it, finding several water-stained sheets of paper that had been written on in a hand she did not recognize. She stared at the notes for a moment unsure if she wanted to read and then she picked up the first sheet and began to read.

_Herein is written the account of the Order of Blood and Shadows. The Order is a philosophical establishment devoted to the mastery of death and the unlocking of the secrets of life. The adherents of this philosophy (commonly known as disciples) seek to become one with the energies of life and death and thus become masters of these two opposing states of being. Disciples are not encouraged to blatantly kill, though the ritual sacrifice of living victims is occasionally required in order to learn of suffering. The understanding of suffering is a fundamental tenant of the philosophy, for suffering is found in both life and death. To this end, disciples are encouraged to test themselves through the use of self torture as well as to torture others, if only for a short time. Disciples shall be arranged into cabals, with each cabal led by a master (to be known as the Disciple of Darkness). Each Disciple of Darkness shall instruct his or her followers in the philosophy of the Order and shall do so according to the core tenants of the Order. However, each Disciple of Darkness shall be free to integrate their own personal beliefs into their cabal. All cabals shall remain secret and hidden from society, cloaked in the cover of darkness for there are those who would wish to destroy the Order should they learn of the Order's activities. Finally, all disciples shall observe strict neutrality in the affairs of the larger society and no member of the Order shall interfere in lives of non-members in any way, save for the purposes of recruitment and the acquisition of sacrifices. Any member who fails to comply with this final tenant shall be excommunicated from the Order, and, should excommunication prove to be ineffective, killed to protect the secrecy of the Order. So it is written, so it shall be done. _

_These are the words of Alexander Montouelle, founder of the Order._

Bridgette sat in stunned silence, trying to process all that she had just read. It was too much to take in. All of it was utterly insane and no one, not McLean, not Shane, not Cecily, not even Gideon had told her the complete truth about what the Order was. All this time she had believed it had been an organization of murderers and criminals founded to gain power, but it was something completely different. The purpose of the Order was not to gain power, it was simply to understand and master life and death. And it had been founded by someone Bridgette had never heard of before. It had all been lies, everything Gideon had told her had been lies. Well, not quite all of it, but many of the overarching aspects had been lies and Bridgette found herself crying again as this realization hit her. She had been tricked and now she was left to figure out why Gideon would play such a cruel game with her, why he would take her in and teach her all of this, only for it to all be a lie.

But the more she thought about it, the more Bridgette realized that couldn't be the case. There had to be a reason why Gideon had fixated on her and there had to be more to the Order than what was written in this one letter. There had to be something that connected what now appeared to be the original philosophy of the Order to Gideon's more radical approach and with that connection there had to be an explanation for why he had wanted to bring her into the fold. With this in mind, Bridgette turned to the next page in the folder, which was again written in a hand she did not recognize.

_In recent years it appears that the purpose of this Order has become distorted by various individuals who shall, for the time being, remain nameless. I cannot say why this change has occurred, but it is my belief that it has something to do with the belief amongst some disciples that there should be only one Disciple of Darkness. This belief is utterly insane and I cannot condone it. Unfortunately, for the first time since the founding of the Order it would appear that I cannot control the storm any longer. The one, true Disciple of Darkness is coming and their arrival shall spell the end of the Order as we know it. A. Montouelle, founder._

Bridgette blinked, surprised. So that was the answer. That was the reason Gideon had gone after her, because he believed she was the one, true Disciple of Darkness. This had to be the answer, it was the only thing that made sense. And as this realization washed over her Bridgette realized that Gideon hadn't been lying to her, he had simply been keeping the whole truth from her in the hopes that she would discover it on her own. And she had. She had discovered the truth and now she knew for sure what her destiny was. She was the Disciple of Darkness and she would end the old Order so that the new Order could rise to power. But there were still other answers waiting for her, answers that would shake her to her core as she began to read again.

The next page was a list of names, which Bridgette quickly realized were members of the Order. She recognized Gideon's name, as well as McLean's, Shane's, and a couple of others Gideon had mentioned to her in passing. She noticed that Cecily's name was not on the list and that a number of the names were crossed out indicating that the person was deceased, including Alexander Montouelle. This seemed to be another of the tenants of the Order and as Bridgette scanned the list again one name jumped out at her, making her breath catch in her throat, _William McLellen_.

"Dr. McLellen was a member of the Order?" Bridgette whispered to herself, stunned by the discovery. "Why didn't he ever tell me?" Bridgette had no answer to that question and she doubted she would ever get one, but it was still a shock to learn that Dr. McLellen had been a member of the Order. There was a note by his name that indicated he had severed ties with the Order many years earlier due to philosophical differences. This made sense and it also explained how he had known so much about the Order. It also explained why Gideon had killed him.

The final page in the folder was a letter from Dr. McLellen which read, _Bridgette, I am sorry you must hear this from me in this fashion, but I had no other choice. I am afraid I haven't been completely honest with you. You see, I am a former member of the Order of Blood and Shadows, the organization to which Chris, Shane, and Gideon also belong. I left because I could not continue to follow the philosophy of the Order after it was twisted by men like Gideon. There is a belief, some say a prophecy, that one day someone will come to the Order with the intention of destroying it. Gideon believes this with all of his being and I fear what he might do to ensure this comes to pass. When I met you, you told me that you were the object of much fascination for Chris. It is because of this that I believe Gideon will target you as well, for they both believe you are the one who will fulfill their so called prophecy. You are destined to become the true Disciple of Darkness, the one they call the Angel of Death. I have tried to prevent this, but I could not. You must fight against Gideon with all your strength, for if you become what he wants you to be all is lost. I cannot help any longer, but the Kings can. They know everything I do, so lean on them in your time of need. They will not abandon you. __Again, I am sorry I didn't tell you this sooner and I wish you the best in your struggle against the darkness. Sincerely, Dr. McLellen._

Once again Bridgette was stunned. She had not been expecting this. There was no date to indicate when Dr. McLellen had written this letter, but it didn't matter. Dr. McLellen's warning had come too late. She felt a powerful surge of hatred for the man she had considered a second father and for the Kings as well. They had known the truth. All this time they had known and done nothing and now she was beyond their aid. And in that moment she decided that she would destroy them for their betrayal. She would destroy them all, for she was not just the Disciple of Darkness. She was now the Angel of Death.

**A/N: Well, there you go. The truth about the Order of Blood and Shadows. It turns out Gideon's way of viewing things is just that, his way. He is a follower of the Order's philosophy, but he has twisted it to suit his own desires and needs. The Order is not an organization that actively murders people just for fun. There is a reason why its members kill and that reason was stated above. Also yes, Dr. McLellen was a member prior to meeting Bridgette, but as he said in his letter, he left because he could not follow the philosophy after it had been twisted by men like Gideon. I included the information on Gideon's past to give you a better understanding of just how evil he is (as well as to give Bridgette that same understanding). The question now is, where does Bridgette go from here and what does this mean for the others? The answers are coming and they will surprise you, though not necessarily in a good way. **


	23. Double Homicide

Bridgette returned home late that evening, her head still buzzing with all the information she had learned. It had been a shock to learn that Dr. McLellen had been a member of the Order, but most of what she'd learned had been more or less what she'd expected to find. The only other bit that was bugging her was the truth about what the Order actually was. She had not been expecting that revelation either. But it didn't matter what the Order had been, all that mattered was what the Order would be. That was her purpose after all, to change the Order and bring it into line with Gideon's vision. That had been why he had chosen her, because she was the Angel of Death. And she would take her new title very seriously, because no matter what else Gideon had done to her, he hadn't lied to her the way Dr. McLellen and the Kings had. She could no longer trust them and her desire to see them burn was just as strong now as it had been when she had left Gideon's house. There was only one problem she had to get around first, her roommates, who would undoubtedly jump all over her the moment she walked through the door.

Sure enough, as soon as Bridgette entered the house she was confronted by Nikki and Gwen, though oddly neither of them seemed to be suspicious of her. This confused her, as she had been expecting them to bombard her with questions about where she had been all day and what she had been doing. But they were eerily silent and Bridgette was beginning to wish they would shout at her.

"Okay what's going on with you two?" she asked, eying the two of them with a look of suspicion. "You're starting to freak me out."

"Oh, are we?" Gwen asked, her tone mild. "I'm sorry Bridgette. I didn't mean to scare you."

Bridgette cocked an eyebrow, now throughly confused. "Is everything okay?" she asked, glancing at Nikki, though her question was addressed to Gwen.

"Yeah, everything is fine." Gwen answered, her tone still mild.

"So, you're not going to ask me where I was all day?" Bridgette asked.

"No, why would we do that?" Nikki answered.

"Well, because you were acting like you didn't trust me this morning and I just thought you'd still be holding on to that suspicion now." Bridgette answered.

"Oh Bridgette, you really are strange sometimes." Nikki said. "We have no reason to be suspicious of you now. You told us you weren't going after Gideon and we believed you. We made a mistake, it happens to everyone. Let it go."

"Okay, if you say so." Bridgette said, moving towards the stairs.

"Unless there is something you want to tell us." Gwen said then, making Bridgette freeze. "We wouldn't blame you if you were keeping a secret from us and we'll listen to whatever it is you have to say." She gave Bridgette an expectant glance, as though she really did think Bridgette was hiding something.

"No, I have no secrets." Bridgette said. "No secrets whatsoever."

"Okay then. Thanks for clearing that up." Gwen said. "Geoff's waiting for you upstairs, by the way. Hope you have a good night." With that she and Nikki left, leaving Bridgette in a state of utter bewilderment.

Shaking her head Bridgette made her way upstairs, finding Geoff waiting for her in her bedroom, just like Gwen had said. He smiled at her as she entered the room, the gesture making her shiver with longing. It had been awhile since they'd had sex and she found herself craving him, despite her newfound outlook on life. She couldn't help it. Even now there was something about Geoff that made her tremble with anticipation in a way no one else could.

"Hey Bridge, how was your day?" he asked, his voice bringing her back to her senses.

"It was good." she answered. "Although I was just...interrogated I guess, by Nikki and Gwen. They were acting really weird. Do you have any idea what's going on with them?"

"Not really." Geoff answered. "They were all worked up when you left this morning though, so maybe it has something to do with that."

"Yeah, maybe." Bridgette said, greatly disliking the possibility.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Geoff said. "I'm sure whatever it is, they'll get over it in a day or two. Now, how about we have some fun tonight? You did promise we could, after all."

Bridgette smiled. She had promised they would spend time together and despite her desire to embrace her role as the Angel of Death she found herself drawn to him with a desire so fierce it could not be ignored. Perhaps it would be better this way. Maybe letting herself have this one last time was a good thing. Maybe it would help her deal with what was to come in a more rational manner. Ultimately she could not resist the pull of his charm and she thrust herself upon him with the passion and intensity of a thousand suns.

* * *

At that same moment, on the other side of town, Jude and Starr were engaged in their own passionate lovemaking. In the wake of LeShawna's death the two of them had tried everything they could think of to forget about the horrible sight of LeShawna's butchered corpse. Thus far, the only thing that had allowed them to forget was making love, though they were both keenly aware of how morbid that was. Still, they both wanted to forget and if this was the only way then they were going to do it, no matter how wrong it seemed. And so, here they were, having the most passionate sex either of them had ever had.

At that particular moment they were in the living room of the small house they were renting, Starr laying on the couch with Jude on top of her, his legs straddling her hips, his hands groping her naked breasts. She was moaning in pleasure as he moved within her, her spine arching with each thrust. It was intoxicating, the sex, and Starr had never felt happier in her life, despite all the horrible things that had happened to her and her friends in recent months. She found herself wishing this moment would last forever, that all other things would disappear and leave only her and Jude behind, entwined forever in eternal passion. But just as she thought this she felt Jude withdraw from her, his breathing heavy and exhausted.

"Jude?" she asked, pushing herself into a sitting position. "Jude, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just need to catch my breath bra." he answered, not meeting her gaze. His tone was sullen and hollow and Starr felt herself shiver, knowing that there was something else going on.

"Are you sure everything is okay?" she asked, her tone concerned.

"Yes, everything is fine." Jude snapped, before rising from the couch, his annoyance plain to see. Sighing he turned and walked from the room without another word.

Concerned, Starr moved to follow him, wrapping a blanket around her naked body as she rose from the couch. She found him in the bathroom a moment later, staring blankly at the mirror, tears glistening in his eyes.

"Jude, talk to me." she said. "What's wrong? Is it something I did?"

"No Starr, it's not you I'm mad at." he answered, after a moment of silence. "I'm mad at myself. We should have been there for LeShawna and we weren't. And that's on me. I was supposed to protect both of you and I didn't and now LeShawna is dead. How could I let that happen? How could I be so fucking stupid to let that happen?"

"No Jude, you can't think like that." Starr said, fighting to keep her emotions in check. "It's not your fault. None of this is your fault. Like Geoff said, Gideon is the killer, he's the one to blame."

"But I was the one who was supposed to protect both of you." Jude said. "And I didn't. And that sick bastard is still out there and what have we been doing? We've been sitting here, having sex because we're too afraid to face the truth. We're too afraid to do anything except fuck and where is that going to get us? We should be doing something, trying to stop Gideon or something other than just sitting here afraid."

"You're right, we should be doing something." Starr agreed. "But what can we do by ourselves? We can't go after Gideon alone. I agree that we need to do something, but we need to meet with the others first."

"But what if we're too late by then?" Jude asked. "What if he's killed someone else by the time we all get together again?"

"Well, unfortunately, that's a risk we'll have to take." Starr answered. "I don't want talk about this anymore tonight. We'll go over to Bridgette's place tomorrow and discuss it more then. Now, lets get ready for bed and get some sleep, okay?"

Jude looked like he wanted to argue, but he remained silent and gave her a nod to show he agreed with her plan. Starr smiled and dropped her blanket before climbing into the shower. Jude hesitated a moment before following her, a smirk twisting his features at the thought of what they could do in the shower. With the thoughts playing in his mind he reached out and pulled the shower curtain closed, while Starr turned on the water.

A short time later they climbed out of the shower and made their way into the bedroom, where Starr got dressed in clean underwear and one of Jude's shirts. Jude simply pulled on a clean pair of boxers and they climbed into bed, both of them exhausted from a day of sex and arguing. Neither of them realized it at the time, but this would be the last time they would ever get into bed together or do anything else, for that matter.

Several hours later Starr was awoken by the sound of something moving around in the room. Blinking into the darkness she strained to make out what it was that was making the noise. But the room was too dark and she couldn't make out anything.

"Hello?" she asked. "Jude, is that you? What are you doing up?"

There was no answer and Starr felt herself shiver, fear creeping into the corners of her mind. She pushed herself into a sitting position, only to feel something wet and sticky on the sheets beside her. Confused, she turned on the bedside lamp, only to be greeted by the most horrific sight she could have ever imagined. There in the bed, his eyes open and staring, was Jude, a wide, bloody gash across his throat.

Starr screamed and grabbed Jude, shaking him violently. "Jude? Jude, baby, speak to me." she begged, though she knew it was too late. He was dead and there was nothing she could do to bring him back. It was then that she noticed the dark figure standing in the corner watching her. She screamed again and then the figure was on her, the knife digging into her belly. She gasped in pain and then felt the blade slice across her throat, cutting her gasp short. She slumped back across the bed, blood streaming from her throat, her breath ragged and gasping. And then darkness took her, her eyes rolling back in her head as she sank into the black abyss of death.

* * *

The next morning Bridgette awoke to find herself entwined with Geoff, both of them naked. For a moment she could not remember what had happened the previous night. And then the immensely pleasing memories came flooding back into her mind. She'd had sex with Geoff again and it had been great. It had been the best sex they'd ever had and she felt like she could do anything now. But there was something else that had happened, though try as she may she could not remember what. It was then that she noticed the blood. There were red smears on her hands and arms, but there was no obvious source in the bed. Confused, Bridgette slid out of bed and made her way to the bathroom where she hurriedly washed the bloodstains away before returning to her bedroom, where Geoff was now sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Good morning Bridgette." he said, with a bemused smiled.

"Good morning yourself." she said, smiling as well. "That was certainly some sex we had last night, wasn't it?"

Geoff grinned. "Yes it was." he agreed. "Thank you for that, by the way."

"You don't have to thank me Geoff." Bridgette said, amused. "But, you're welcome, all the same. It was my pleasure."

"It was mine as well." he said, reaching for his pants. "Shall we get some breakfast?"

"Yeah, I could use some food." Bridgette replied, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and a tank-top as she spoke. "After a night like that I could use-" Her sentence was cut short by a scream from downstairs which made both her and Geoff jump.

"That sounded like Gwen." Geoff said, his tone concerned.

Bridgette nodded and they quickly made their way downstairs, followed by Nikki and Lucy, who looked just as concerned as Bridgette felt. They arrived downstairs to find Gwen staring out the window with a horrified expression, her entire body trembling with silent sobs.

"Gwen, what is it?" Nikki asked. "What happened?"

Gwen just pointed and the other four followed her gesture to the horrific scene in the front yard. There, splayed out beneath the large oak tree, were the bodies of Jude and Starr, both of them barely clothed and obviously dead. Their throats had been slashed and it was obvious they had been sleeping when they were killed.

"Ah, mother fucker." Geoff shouted. "Not again. When is this fucker going to stop?"

"I don't think he is going to stop." Bridgette answered. "This double homicide proves that. He's not going to stop until he's killed us all."

"We should call the Kings and Heather." Nikki said, her voice hollow.

"Do it." Bridgette said. "We'll get their bodies." She gestured at Geoff who nodded and followed her out into the yard, Bridgette fighting the entire time to keep her emotions in check. It was difficult not to show how she truly felt about this discovery, but she had to keep her silence or all would be lost. She wouldn't have to keep silent much longer however. Two more were dead and it wouldn't be long now before the rest of them joined the deceased.

**A/N: Well, there you go. Jude and Starr are now dead and things are only going to keep getting worse. By the way, sorry it's been so long since I last updated. I was busy with other things, including my new Firefly one shot "Logic vs. Faith" but I'm back to this fic now, so expect regular updates for the remainder of the fic. We only have nine chapters to go, by the way, and then we'll be done. But stay tuned, because a lot of stuff is still going to happen as we race towards Bridgette's destiny of death.**


	24. Keeping the Silence

"Okay, so, I think it's fair to say we need to start being more proactive in our approach to dealing with Gideon." Geoff said, addressing the entire group. "We've been too lax in our approach to this point and all it's gotten us is a lot of fucking pain and sorrow. I say we end this now."

"While I appreciate your position Geoff, I must say that I think your approach is a bit rash." said Chef, who had arrived earlier that morning, along with Ron, Coach, and Heather. "If we go chasing after Gideon with no knowledge of his plans we could be playing right into his hand."

"What is there for us to know?" Geoff argued. "He wants to kill us, isn't that motivation enough to stop him?"

"Under normal circumstances, yes, it would be motivation enough, Mr. Martin." said Ron. "But you seem to have lost sight of exactly what it is we're dealing with here. Gideon Hall is not a normal man. He is a fanatic and a highly trained killer. If we just blindly charge after him we will all get ourselves killed, you can rest assured of that."

"So, what, we're just supposed to sit here and let him get away with killing Jude and Starr?" Geoff asked. "Not to mention LeShawna, Beth, Lindsey, Alejandro, Trent, Wyatt, Marlowe-" His sentence died as Chef held up a hand for silence.

"Geoff, we are all aware of the lives Gideon has taken, but you must understand that your plan is not the safest approach we can take." Chef said. "And like it or not, Ron, Coach, and I have an obligation to do what keeps you safe. That is our job and it is one we take very seriously, so we will not discuss this matter any further, understand?"

Geoff nodded, his shoulders sagging. "Fine, we won't use my ideas." he muttered.

"Oh come on Geoff, don't be so gloomy." said Nikki. "It's not like the Kings are telling us to give up. They're simply telling us to be cautious and I agree with them."

"So do I." Gwen said with a nod. "Your plan isn't bad Geoff, it just doesn't seem like the safest means of stopping Gideon."

Geoff glared at them, obviously upset that they'd taken the Kings' side. He turned to Bridgette, Heather, and Lucy then, hoping they'd take his side. "What do you three think?" he asked.

"I agree with the Kings." Heather said, her blank gaze not meeting his.

"Sorry Geoff, but I agree with them too." said Lucy, her tone apologetic.

"Bridgette, what about you?" Geoff asked, his tone hopeful.

"I...I think we need to be cautious." Bridgette answered, not meeting his gaze. "I'm sorry Geoff, but the Kings are right. We can't just go blindly, we need to have a plan. That's the truth of the matter and in your heart I think you know that."

Geoff stared at her, his expression one of disbelief. "Wow, I guess I don't know any of you as well as I thought I did." he said. "But fine, we'll do things your way, just don't blame me when you end up dead by Gideon's hand."

"Don't say that." Bridgette said. "We won't all be killed by Gideon. I won't let it happen, even if it kills me." There was something in her tone that made Geoff flinch, though none of the others seemed to notice except Bridgette, who moved quickly to smooth things over. "Not that I want to die." she added. "But I would if it meant the rest of you would live."

"We appreciate that Bridgette, but I don't think it'll come to that." said Heather, the lightness of her tone breaking the tension in the room.

"Okay, well, that settles that." said Chef. "I think I'll be going then, unless there's anything else any of you wanted to discuss?"

"No, I think we're good here." Bridgette answered, glancing at her roommates, who all nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then we'll be off as well." said Ron, nodding at Coach. "Would you like a ride home, Miss Chen?"

"Yes, thank you." Heather said, nodding in his direction. With that, the Kings and Heather left, leaving Bridgette and her roommates to reflect on the loss of two more friends.

"So you guys don't really agree with the Kings, do you?" Geoff asked, once he was sure the Kings were gone. "You were just saying that cuz they were here, right?"

"No, I really do agree with them." Gwen said. "And I don't really feel like discussing this anymore." With that, she turned and headed back upstairs without another word.

Lucy just gave Geoff a guilty little shrug before she too left the room. Bridgette and Nikki didn't immediately answer, though Geoff could tell which way they were leaning. "I can't believe none of you took my side." he muttered, before he headed upstairs as well, his tone disgusted.

Bridgette made to follow him but Nikki held her up. "Bridgette, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked, her expression serious.

"Sure." Bridgette said, her tone casual despite the fact that she knew what Nikki was going to ask her about.

Nikki smiled and led Bridgette to the living room before turning to face her. "Okay, so, I'm going to ask you something and I need you to give me a straight answer. No lies okay?"

Bridgette nodded, feeling her insides squirm. "Ask away." she said, her tone still casual.

"Where were you last night?" Nikki asked. "Geoff mentioned this morning that you were gone from your bed for awhile last night and I want to know where you were."

"I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk." Bridgette answered. "Why? You don't think I had anything to do with what happened to Jude and Starr, do you?"

"God no." Nikki said. "Why would you ask me something like that?"

"No reason really." Bridgette lied. "It's just that, you've been suspicious of me in the past and I was just wondering if you were thinking along those lines now."

"No, I'm not." Nikki answered. "I'll admit that you've been a little secretive and distant lately, but why would I assume you had anything to do with Jude and Starr's murders? You have no reason to want them dead, so why would I assume that?"

"I don't know." Bridgette said. "I was just asking. Look, forget I said anything, okay? It was wrong of me to ask you something like that."

"Yes, it was." Nikki agreed, her tone now slightly suspicious. "Unless...did you have something to do with what happened to them?"

"No, of course not." Bridgette answered. "You said it yourself, I have no reason to want them dead and even if I did, I wouldn't act on those impulses. I'm not Gideon, after all."

"Okay, I believe you." Nikki said, though there was still a hint of suspicion to her tone. "But just know, if you did have anything to do with that or if you know where Gideon is, I'd come clean now if you want any chance at salvaging your reputation. Just saying." With that, she turned and headed upstairs, leaving Bridgette alone in the living room.

Bridgette sat for a long time contemplating Nikki's words. Nikki couldn't possibly know the truth, could she? No, it was impossible. Bridgette had been extremely careful to keep the silence and there was no way Nikki could have learned what was actually going on. As far as Nikki knew Gideon was still alive and Bridgette was more than willing to let her believe that, for even she wasn't sure of Gideon's true whereabouts. And as far as she knew, it was him who had killed LeShawna, Jude, and Starr, though she had her suspicions about that. Still, there was a chance Nikki had found a way of learning the truth and the only way to make sure she wouldn't learn any more was to destroy the evidence. With that in mind Bridgette left, heading to the one place where the evidence could be found.

* * *

A short time later Bridgette arrived at Gideon's house, her senses on high alert in case she had been followed. Once again she entered through the back door before making her way to the living room where she'd left the folders that contained the information about Gideon and the Order. Much to her relief they were still there and though it pained her to do what she would do next, she knew it had to be done. She couldn't risk anyone ever finding this information and learning the truth, no matter how small that risk might be.

To that end she moved to the fireplace, grabbing the matches that lay on the hearth as she did so. There was still wood stacked in the fireplace and plenty of loose scraps of paper laying around to start a fire. Smiling, she piled as much paper as she could beneath the logs before striking a match which she then tossed into the pile which ignited immediately. She then turned to get the folders, only to pause as a great wave of sorrow and regret washed over her. If she burned these folders she would lose all of the information they contained and with that information she would lose all connection to the reasons she was doing this. On the other hand, if she didn't burn them she risked them being found by someone else, which would reveal her secrets and end her destiny before it could be fulfilled. And so she made her decision, though it pained her immensely to lose such valuable information.

With one last glance at the letters in the folder on the Order she cast the folders into the fire and watched them blacken and burn. As she watched the folders burn she thought about her destiny and what it meant. She still didn't fully understand everything about her destiny, but she sensed that this, the burning of the folders was the last straw. She was now fully committed to her destiny and with that realization fresh in her mind she turned and walked out of the house without a backwards glance, knowing that what she had just done had been necessary in order to keep the silence and her secrets. For if anyone ever learned the truth she would lose her chance to fulfill her destiny and everything she'd done up to that point would have been for nothing.

**A/N: Okay, so I know this was kind of a short chapter, but it didn't take as much for me to get out what I wanted to get out as I originally thought it would. Also, I know I said last chapter I'd be getting back on a schedule for updating this thing, but I have a few other fics I'm working on at the moment so the schedule may be a little sporadic now. On the other hand, it might not, because I think I can work out a plan for when I update each of the fics I'm writing. Finally, yes, Nikki has begun to get suspicious of Bridgette, though whether or not those suspicions are well founded, well you'll just have to wait to find out. And fair warning, the truth may shock you. **


	25. Through the Eyes of the Blind

Bridgette returned home a short time later, her mind still consumed by her new devotion to her destiny. She knew she had done the right thing by burning the folders, but it still felt like she had destroyed her sole connection to the Order. But the more she thought about it the more she realized it had been the only way. Gideon had always told her that she had to find the answers on her own and without the information those folders had contained she now had no one to rely on but herself. Still, she wished she still had Gideon to talk to, as there were questions she wasn't sure she could answer on her own, even with the information she had learned from the folders. But Gideon was gone, or at least it seemed like he was, Bridgette still wasn't sure of his whereabouts, and she would have to make sense of the final few pieces of this puzzle on her own.

As she entered the house she became aware of her roommates watching her. She turned to face them, noting to her relief that none of them were looking at her with suspicion. "Hey guys." she said, smiling. "What's going on?"

"Where were you just now?" Nikki asked, not bothering with pleasantries.

"I went for a walk." Bridgette answered. "Why, did something happen?"

"No, I was just wondering where you were is all." Nikki answered. "Heather called while you were out, by the way. She wanted to speak with you."

"About what?" Bridgette asked, sensing a possible trap.

"She didn't say." Nikki answered. "But she seemed pretty upset when I talked to her. She kept saying she needed to talk to you and that it was important. That's all I know."

"Okay, thanks for letting me know." Bridgette said, nodding.

"Any time." Nikki said before she walked out of the room without a backwards glance.

Bridgette watched her go, feeling her insides squirm. It still seemed like Nikki knew more than she was letting on, but Bridgette wasn't willing to confront her in front of the others until she knew for sure if Nikki knew anything.

"Well, I guess I'd better call Heather." she said, after a moment of silence.

"Okay, we'll leave you to that." Gwen said, before she, Geoff, and Lucy also left.

Bridgette sighed and pulled out her phone before dialing Heather's number. Heather answered on the fourth ring. "Hello?" she asked, her voice ragged and tense. "Who is this?"

"Heather, it's Bridgette." Bridgette said. "Nikki said you wanted to talk."

"Yes, I do." Heather said, her voice cracking. "I can't be here alone anymore. I'm terrified Gideon will come for me at any time and I was wondering if you could come over?"

"When?" Bridgette asked, instantly liking this idea. "Do you want me to come over now?"

"I would really appreciate it if you did." Heather answered. "But if you'd prefer to wait until tomorrow, I guess that's fine since it is getting late."

"I'll tell you what, why don't you find the safest place in your house and stay there for tonight and I'll come see you in the morning." Bridgette said. "How's that sound?"

"Okay, I'm fine with that." Heather said, though her tone suggested otherwise. "Thank you for calling me back Bridgette."

"You're welcome Heather." Bridgette said. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, see you then." Heather said, before hanging up. Bridgette hung up as well and turned to head upstairs, only to find her way blocked by Geoff and Gwen.

"What did Heather want?" Gwen asked, glancing at Bridgette.

"She wanted me to come over to her house." Bridgette answered. "She's alone and scared, and I guess she just wants someone to talk to."

"So, what are you going to do?" Geoff asked. "Are you going over there?"

"I told her I head over tomorrow." Bridgette answered. "That seemed to calm her down a bit. I think she still wanted me come over tonight, but I think she'll be okay for now."

"Okay, sounds like a plan to me." Geoff said, moving to embrace Bridgette.

"Yeah, I just hope nothing happens to her before Bridgette gets over there." Gwen said.

"I'm sure Bridgette is right." Geoff said. "Heather will be fine." With that he led Bridgette upstairs, leaving Gwen alone in the living room to worry about Heather's wellbeing.

* * *

The next morning Bridgette woke around nine thirty and made her way downstairs. She found Nikki waiting in the kitchen, a pot of coffee boiling away and eggs cooking on the stove. She glanced at Nikki and smiled before grabbing an orange out of the fruit bowl on the counter.

"Gwen told me everything you know." Nikki said then, making Bridgette freeze.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, turning to face Nikki as she spoke.

"I know why Heather called yesterday and I know what you're doing for her." Nikki said. "And I just want to say thank you. She's been getting more and more depressed with each passing day and I think it's great that your willing to lend her a shoulder to cry on. God knows I couldn't do it, despite how much our relationship has improved. I still can't help but think of her as my bitchy cousin, so thank you for doing this."

"Hey, what are friends for, right?" Bridgette said, with a shrug.

"Yeah, you really are a great friend Bridgette." Nikki said, turning to get her eggs before making her way to the living room.

Bridgette smiled, relieved that Nikki hadn't accused her of being up to something. She then poured herself a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal, which she ate a lightning speed, before heading back upstairs to get dressed. Less than five minutes later she was back downstairs and heading out the door, without saying goodbye to any of her roommates. She then hopped into her car and headed to Heather's, intent on doing what must be done.

She arrived at Heather's a short time later, parking across the street just to be safe. She then made her way up to the house, which was up two flights of stairs from the street. She rang the doorbell and waited, hearing the sound of Heather's feet approaching a moment later. The door opened then, revealing Heather, her sightless eyes racking over Bridgette before coming to rest on her face.

"Hello Bridgette." Heather said, her tone much calmer than it had been on the phone. "Please come in." She stepped aside to allow Bridgette to enter.

"How did you know it was me?" Bridgette asked as she entered the house.

"If it was Gideon I doubt he would have used the doorbell." Heather said, closing the door with a snap before leading Bridgette to the living room.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Bridgette agreed. "Gideon doesn't seem like the kind of guy who asks permission to enter. He just enters and creates havoc."

Heather nodded, a note of sadness to the gesture. "Please sit." she said, gesturing at one of the large armchairs that stood in the living room before seating herself in one of them.

Bridgette followed her lead and sat, feeling her insides squirm. "I'm sorry, by the way." she said. "If I upset you by talking about Gideon's lack of asking permission. I forgot he just walked in here and killed Alejandro."

"It's okay Bridgette." Heather said. "I understand. I try not to think about it much myself, but it's really hard."

"Is that what you wanted to talk about?" Bridgette asked. "Nikki said this morning you'd been feeling rather depressed since he was killed. And yesterday, on the phone, you said you were afraid Gideon would come for you."

"Yes, that is what I wanted to talk about." Heather answered. "I want to know how you do it. How do find the strength to press on after everything that's happened?"

"To be honest I'm not really sure." Bridgette replied. "I'm sorry if that's not helpful, but it's the truth. I have no idea where the strength comes from and sometimes it feels like it's not there at all. Sometimes I feel like just curling up into a ball and wishing for it all to end."

She glanced at Heather then and could instantly tell that her answer had not been satisfying. She could feel Heather's sightless gaze on her as she looked away and wished she could have come up with a better answer. But what else was she supposed to say? She had told Heather the truth and that was all she could do, unless Heather wanted her to lie. She glanced at Heather again, but before she could speak Heather did, making her shudder.

"I understand Bridgette." Heather said. "I understand how had it can be to move on. And I understand why you are unable to figure out where your strength comes from."

"You do?" Bridgette asked, throughly confused by Heather's words.

"I do." Heather said, nodding. "Sometimes things happen that we can't explain and we just have to accept that there is no explanation. Some things are simply not meant to be known and I guess this is one of them."

Bridgette nodded, too shocked to speak. She had never known Heather was such an adamant believer in the spiritual or the metaphysical. She had always thought of Heather as a superficial material girl who only cared about shopping, boys, and gossip. Even after they had become friends Bridgette had been unable to fully shake that image of Heather, but she had been wrong. Heather was much more than what her past behavior led people to believe. She was intelligent, insightful, and well grounded and Bridgette found herself looking at Heather in an entirely new light.

"How did you come to this realization?" Bridgette asked, once she'd found her voice.

"It happened after I lost my sight." Heather answered. "I kept asking myself why McLean had done this to me and then I realized that there was no reason. He just did it. And I could either accept that and move on, or dwell on it and stay stuck in the past. I chose to move on."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that, by the way." Bridgette said then. "How did you accept your blindness so quickly?"

"Like I said, I just realized that there was no other option." Heather answered, shrugging.

"But it must have been hard, right?" Bridgette asked. "I mean, you had just lost one of your five senses and yet you say you were just able to accept that? How is that possible?"

"Like you, I have no idea." Heather answered. "And it wasn't easy. When the doctors first told me that I was permanently blind I nearly had a complete breakdown. It didn't help that you were laying in a coma at the time due to the injuries you'd sustained fighting McLean, but somehow I found the strength to press on and I haven't really looked back since."

"I've got to say Heather, that's pretty impressive." Bridgette said.

"Well, it helps having friends to rely on." Heather said. "Which is part of why I asked you to come over here. Without Lindsey, Alejandro, Tyler, and Justin here with me this house just seems so fucking big and I can't see all the places where Gideon might attack from and I just feel so exposed, you know? I feel like there is no where I can hide."

"Not to sound unkind, but you seem to be doing okay to me." Bridgette said. "I mean, you were able to make it to the living room without my aid, so what do you need me for?"

"I was able to do that because I've done it countless times before." Heather said. "Lindsey used to be my eyes and I learned where most things are in this house from her, but it feels like I'm starting to forget and I'm afraid that I'll hurt myself."

"I don't think that's possible Heather." Bridgette said. "You can't just forget things that quickly, as far as I know. I think you can get around this place just fine on your own."

"Don't do that." Heather snapped, suddenly angry. "Don't sit there and act like you know what it's like for me being blind. You have no fucking idea what it's like. I can't see Bridgette, don't you understand that? Not being able to see makes everything that much more terrifying. Every little sound gets amplified until you can't tell where it's coming from or what it is. You can still do those things, but I can't, so don't act like you fucking know what this is like for me, cuz you don't."

"Okay, I'm sorry." Bridgette said. "I didn't mean to upset you. All I was saying was you seem to have things under control here. But if you truly feel like you don't, I'll help you."

"Thank you Bridgette." Heather said. "I apologize for freaking out like that. It was uncalled for and it won't happen again. But I had to make you understand what its like to see the world through the eyes of the blind."

"Don't worry about it." Bridgette said. "I understand and it's okay. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

"Thank you." Heather said. "But I do have another question for you."

"Which is?" Bridgette asked, glancing at Heather.

"Do you think we can really stop Gideon?" Heather asked, her tone hopeful.

"Do you want the honest answer or the bullshit answer?" Bridgette asked.

"The honest answer would be nice." Heather said, her tone now slightly confused.

"Then I'd have to say no." Bridgette said. "No, I don't think we can stop Gideon."

"Why would you say that?" Heather asked, her sightless eyes going wide with surprise.

"The answer is simple really." Bridgette said. "We can't stop Gideon Hall because he is already dead."

"What?" Heather asked, now throughly confused and terrified. "What did you say?"

"I said, Gideon is already dead." Bridgette answered, smiling as she watched the color drain from Heather's cheeks.

**A/N: Bum, bum, bum! Tell me honestly, did you see that coming? Did you know that Gideon is dead? Cuz if you did, you're wrong. Or maybe you aren't, I can't actually say for sure. Gideon may be dead and he may not, but either way, why would Bridgette tell Heather something like that? What is going on inside Bridgette's head and what does it mean for her friends? The answers are coming and all I can say for now is, there will be blood. Oh, and sorry it took so long to update. Been kind of busy with my other fics.**


	26. See No Evil

"What are you saying Bridgette?" Heather asked, her tone full of fear. "What do you mean Gideon is already dead?"

"I mean exactly what you think I mean." Bridgette answered. "Gideon Hall is dead. What else do you need to know?"

"How can you be sure though?" Heather asked, still terrified.

"I saw him die, that's how I'm sure." Bridgette answered, her tone impassive.

"When?" Heather asked. "When did you see this happen? And why didn't you tell us?"

"It happened a few days ago." Bridgette answered. "You remember the day you were all out looking for me?" Heather nodded and Bridgette continued. "Well, the night before Gideon invited me to join him on the old bridge that crosses the White river. That's why I wasn't at home that morning. I was out with Gideon. He tried to get me to join him and I resisted. We fought and I stabbed him and then he fell over the side of the bridge into the river. The bridge is two hundred feet above the river so there is no way he could have survived."

Bridgette glanced at Heather when she was done speaking and smiled at the look of horror and awe that twisted Heather's features. For a moment there was silence and then Heather spoke again, her voice barely a whisper.

"You-you killed Gideon?" she asked. "But then, who killed LeShawna, Jude, and Starr?"

"Well, that's the mystery, isn't it?" Bridgette said. "If Gideon is dead, and I assure you he is, then who is still killing our friends?"

"Gideon must have an ally or something." Heather said, her tone suddenly much less fearful. "There must be someone who is working with him, continuing his work in the wake of his death. But I have no idea who would be crazy enough to do that."

"That's a good theory Heather." Bridgette said. "And it's what I thought at first as well, but now I'm not so sure. When you consider how LeShawna, Jude, and Starr were killed there is really only one possible conclusion, though that conclusion doesn't make sense when you first think about it."

"What is it?" Heather asked. "The one conclusion, what is it?"

"Well, the answer is simple really." Bridgette said. "LeShawna, Jude, and Starr were killed by Gideon Hall."

Heather blinked, taken aback, her sightless eyes gazing past Bridgette. "Wait, what the fuck do you mean they were killed by Gideon?" she asked. "You just said Gideon is dead and that he died before they did, so how could he have killed them?"

"I was confused at first as well, but then I thought about it and the answer hit me." Bridgette said. "Gideon didn't die that night like I thought he had. Somehow, he survived, though I have no idea how."

"That makes no sense." Heather said. "You said yourself he fell two hundred feet into the river. No one can survive a fall like that."

"No one normal at least." Bridgette said, smiling at Heather's confusion.

"What are you saying?" Heather asked. "Do you think Gideon is some kind of super human or something fucked up like that?"

"I am saying exactly that." Bridgette answered. "I am suggesting that it is possible that Gideon either survived that fall or he died and somehow came back from the dead. Either way, he's still out there and it's only a matter of time before he comes for us."

"Bridgette stop." Heather said, her tone tense. "Stop saying these things. Everything you're saying is completely insane. You're talking about the impossible and it's starting to freak me out. So please, just stop, okay?"

"I'm sorry Heather." Bridgette said. "I didn't mean to scare you. But I am simply considering all possibilities."

"Except some of those 'possibilities' are impossible." Heather said, her tone stiff.

"Nothing is impossible Heather." Bridgette said. "Not if you know where and how to look. Everything is possible, you just have to know how to see it."

"You still sound crazy to me." Heather said. "I mean really Bridgette, Gideon can come back from the dead? Do you really believe that? Not even Nikki and Gwen are crazy enough to believe something like that."

"How do you explain the deaths then?" Bridgette asked, her tone questioning.

"Like I said, Gideon must have an ally or a follower or something like that." Heather answered. "And that person is continuing his work as some kind of sick tribute to him."

"But no one could have killed them as efficiently as Gideon." Bridgette countered. "He is the only one who could have gotten to them like that."

"So you don't think he could have taught those skills to someone else?" Heather asked. "Because that seems like the more logical answer to me. I mean, come on Bridgette, we know Gideon is capable of swaying people to his cause, just like McLean was. So why couldn't he have an ally of some kind? It makes sense to me."

"It does make sense, until you consider that Gideon was a loner by nature." Bridgette said. "He would never trust someone else to finish his work for him. He'd want to finish it himself and I think that desire would be strong enough to bring him back from the dead."

"People don't come back from the dead Bridgette." Heather snapped, her tone now angry.

"How do you know that for sure?" Bridgette asked. "Have you ever seen it happen? Because if you haven't you can't possibly know for sure one way or the other. I, however, do know. I went searching for Gideon after he fell off the bridge and I found signs to suggest that he survived or that he came back from the other side. Either way, he is still out there and you know what that means, right? It means we're still in danger."

Heather stared at her for a moment, her sightless gaze blank and impassive, as she tried to process what Bridgette was telling her. "How do you know those signs you found were left by Gideon?" she finally asked.

"I just know, okay?" Bridgette said. "Look, it doesn't matter how I know, all that matters is that we let the others know before it's too late. Will you help me with that?"

Heather hesitated a moment. "I don't know Bridgette." she said. "This all seems too crazy to me. How do I know you're not lying to me?"

"Come on Heather, why would I lie to you?" Bridgette asked. "I have no reason to lie. I swear, everything I have told you is the truth. I thought Gideon was dead, but I was wrong, and now we have to warn the others."

Again Heather hesitated before finally nodding. "Okay Bridgette, I believe you." she said. "I still think this is crazy, but I'll trust you on this."

"Good." Bridgette said, smiling. "So will you help me warn the others?"

"Of course." Heather said, rising to her feet. Bridgette followed suit, sliding the large hunting knife out of her pocket as she did, a sinister smile twisting her features.

"So, how do you want to tell them?" Heather asked, her blank gaze flickering in Bridgette's direction. "Do you want to explain everything or should we leave a few details out?"

Bridgette just smiled and hugged Heather, as though she was grateful Heather had taken her side. "We'll tell them everything." she whispered. "By the way, it must be really nice to see no evil, even when it's standing right in front of you."

"What?" Heather asked, confused. "What are you-ah!" She gasped, cutting her question short as Bridgette drove the knife into her midsection. Heather's eyes went wide and she gasped again as Bridgette twisted the knife in her stomach.

"Didn't see that coming, did you?" Bridgette asked, her tone sinister and mocking.

"What...what are you doing?" Heather gasped as Bridgette yanked the knife from her gut.

"The will of my master." Bridgette answered before driving the knife into Heather's gut a second time. "Everything I just told you was a lie and like a fool you believed me and now you're pitiful, pathetic life has reached it's end." She yanked the knife out again and stepped back to admire her handiwork, smiling.

Heather stood for a moment, swaying as she weakened from blood loss, her hands rising to clutch the wounds in her abdomen and then she keeled over backwards, hitting the floor with a thud. Her breath came in sharp, ragged gasps and she could feel the blood as it drained from her body, staining her hands red. And then she heard Bridgette kneel beside her and felt the knife pierce her flesh for a third time. "Stop." she begged. "Please...stop."

"Oh Heather, I can't do that." Bridgette said. "You see, I am the Disciple of Darkness, the Angel of Death and this is my destiny. I have no choice. By the way, it was me. I killed LeShawna, Jude, and Starr. And I'm going to kill all of the others."

Heather felt tears at these words. "No." she gasped. "No...you won't...you won't kill them. I won't let you. I will stop you."

"No Heather, you won't." Bridgette said, her tone full of gleeful malice. "You will die here today, alone and I will kill them all." She twisted the knife then, slicing Heather's stomach wide open, exposing her innards in all their bloody, gruesome glory.

"No, I...hurk,gulk." Heather gasped, her words turning to gibberish as blood fountained from her mouth. Her sightless eyes rolled in their sockets and her body twitched with the last bursts of electricity from her dying brain. "I...damn you Bridgette. Go...rot in...hell you bit...ch..." Heather's voice trailed off then as her body relaxed, her blank gaze going dark as death claimed her.

Bridgette stared at Heather's lifeless body for a moment, shocked that she had actually done it. And then she smiled, a feeling of euphoria consuming her as she realized she had done it. For the fourth time she had killed and unlike the previous three times she had faced Heather as she'd taken her life. It was a magical feeling and she finally understood why Gideon had relished this so much. There was a feeling of absolute power in the act of taking another life and Bridgette knew she would never be able to get enough of that feeling now. Overcome by her joy she raised the knife to her lips and licked Heather's blood from the blade.

For several minutes Bridgette sat beside Heather's body relishing her success and then she remembered that the others had known she was coming over here. And with this realization came another, she needed a way to cover this up. With that in mind she rose to her feet and turned away from Heather's body before slicing open the palm of her left hand. She then tossed the knife aside, before bashing her head into the wall to make it look like she'd put up a fight. She then pulled out her phone and dialed 911 before laying down near Heather's body so that when the police and paramedics arrived it would appear as though she had done everything she could to help Heather.

Twenty minutes later she heard the sirens as the police and paramedics arrived. Bridgette clutched her head and let tears roll down her cheeks as they entered the house. She felt a pair of strong hands grasp her, pulling her to her feet and heard a male voice ask, "Miss, are you alright?"

"I...I.." she stammered, her voice choked with emotion. "We were just having a friendly conversation and he attacked us. He killed my friend. I tried to fight him off, but her was too strong for me. I'm sorry."

"It's okay miss." the paramedic said. "You did all you could. Now let's get you out of here."

Bridgette nodded and let the paramedic guide her from the house, never once betraying any hint that she was playing them. The paramedic led her to an ambulance where he bandaged her hand and the scrapes on her head before turning her over to the police for questioning. The police didn't ask her many questions however and seemed satisfied with her answer that it was Gideon who had attacked her and Heather. After twenty minutes or so they released her and she was escorted home, where her friends were waiting for her.

"Oh God Bridgette." Lucy said, rushing forward to embrace her. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"We all are." Gwen said, moving forward as well, followed by Geoff, who pulled all three girls into a powerful hug.

"Is it true?" he asked. "Did Gideon really kill Heather?"

"Yes." Bridgette answered, though she was not looking at him. Instead she was looking at Nikki, who had not joined them in their hug. She was standing at the back of the room staring at them, a look of mistrust and disbelief on her face. It was chilling, seeing Nikki like that, though Bridgette knew what the look meant. Nikki knew the truth and if she told, all of Bridgette's plans would come crumbling down.

**A/N: And so, the truth comes out. And yes, it is all true. Bridgette has been killing her friends and she is not done. All of that stuff with Gideon was leading to this and Bridgette will be the villain for the remainder of the story (or maybe she won't be, I don't know). Anyway, Heather is now dead, and as you can probably tell, this chapter picked up right where the other one left off. Also, the reason Bridgette told Heather Gideon was dead and then played those games with her about him still being alive was all done to lure Heather into a false sense of security so she'd be easier to kill. As far as the truth about Gideon's whereabouts, well you'll find that out in the next chapter, maybe. So there you go, now you know where it was all leading and trust me, it's only gonna get bloodier from here. Only six chapters to go, by the way, so prepare yourselves. The end is near.**


	27. Taken By the Darkness

Two days after murdering Heather, Bridgette set the next piece of her plan in motion. Her friends still hadn't figured out the truth and were still under the impression that Gideon had killed Heather, but Bridgette was not willing to wait any longer. She had to act now, before any of them learned the truth. Her time was already short, for she was certain one of them already knew and it would only be a matter of time before the others learned the truth as well. And yet Nikki had made no mention of her suspicions in the two days since Heather's death and Bridgette was forced to wonder if Nikki actually knew anything at all. Nikki's actions on the day of Heather's death seemed to suggest that she did, but her lack of accusations since made Bridgette question how much Nikki really knew. Perhaps she didn't know anything and Bridgette was only making assumptions. Or perhaps Nikki only thought she knew the truth and hadn't confronted Bridgette because she wasn't certain. Either way, it put Bridgette in an uncomfortable position, one she was keen to get herself out of no matter the cost.

To that end she moved to acquire her next targets, carefully choosing those who were not in Fort Columbus. Truthfully it would have been in her best interest to kill Nikki next, but she was certain Nikki would be on high alert and decided not to risk that move yet. Besides, the targets she had in mind would shock her remaining friends into submission, or so she hoped. And so, she made her plans to head to Fulton, but before she could go she needed an excuse.

That afternoon she met with her roommates to let them know where she was going. "Well, I'm off to Fulton." she said, smiling. "I'll see you guys later."

"Why are you heading to Fulton?" Geoff asked, confused.

"I haven't seen my parents in awhile and I want to pay them a visit." Bridgette answered.

"Hey, that sounds like a plan. Why don't I come with you?" Geoff said, obviously excited by the prospect.

"No, I'd rather go alone." Bridgette said, her tone apologetic.

"But what about Gideon?" Geoff asked, suddenly concerned.

"What about him?" Bridgette asked, glancing at Geoff with a look of mild annoyance.

"Well, he's still out there for one." Geoff said. "And he just attacked you and Heather two days ago. I thought you'd want to be a bit more careful. So let me come with you."

"No Geoff, I'm going alone and that's final." Bridgette snapped, before turning and walking from the house without a backwards glance.

Geoff stared after her a moment before he too turned and walked away, leaving Nikki, Gwen, and Lucy in stunned silence.

"What do you think that was all about?" Gwen finally asked, after a moment of silence. "Why wouldn't she let Geoff go with her?"

"I'm sure it was nothing." Lucy said. "Bridgette can be stubborn sometimes and I'm sure she has a good reason for wanting to go alone."

"Yeah, like the fact that she killed Heather and is probably going to kill her parents." Nikki said, glancing at each of them in turn.

"What?" Gwen asked. "Nik, are you serious right now? Do you really think Bridgette killed Heather? Why would she do that?"

Nikki didn't answer and walked away without another word, leaving Gwen and Lucy even more confused than they had been moments before. Something wasn't adding up, though no one appeared to be willing to share. Ultimately, Gwen decided that it probably didn't matter and she and Lucy went their separate ways, never knowing that something was indeed stirring in the darkness.

* * *

An hour or so later Bridgette arrived in Fulton, her mind set on one goal and one goal only. She had stopped by Gideon's house before leaving Fort Columbus and had gathered a veritable arsenal from the stash he had kept there. Her first order of business was to pay a visit to Geoff's brother Scott Martin and his girlfriend Alyssa Channing. Scott and Alyssa had not been involved with the string of horrors Bridgette had experienced since graduating from high school, but they still knew more than they should. Bridgette had no doubt Geoff had kept them in the loop and even if he hadn't they likely watched the news. Either way they would know about the deaths of the others and could learn the truth about her making them loose ends that needed tying up. And so Bridgette would silence them, before they could learn any more than they likely already knew.

A short time later she arrived at Scott and Alyssa's house armed with a single pistol. Scott and Alyssa were just sitting down for dinner when she arrived and for a moment she forgot why she was there. For a moment she felt her desire to kill withdraw and considered not going through with her plan. But the moment quickly faded and before she could stop herself again she was walking up the steps to their front door, pulling on a black ski mask as she went.

Bridgette didn't bother ringing the doorbell, she simply kicked open the door and walked inside. Alerted by the sound of her entrance Scott ran into the hallway, but before he could react Bridgette shot him in the head. She heard Alyssa's scream from the dining room and moved to take her out, finding her sitting at the table shaking in terror. When Alyssa saw her she bolted, but only made it a few steps before Bridgette's shot took her down. The bullet caught Alyssa between the shoulder blades and Bridgette knew she was still alive. She moved to stand beside Alyssa, who was writhing on the floor, her breath coming in sharp, painful gasps.

"Please." Alyssa begged. "Please don't kill me. I...I'll do anything you want, just don't kill me. Please, I'm begging you."

Bridgette stood over her and stared into Alyssa's brilliant green eyes, her blood surging with the glorious euphoria of power. She waited a moment, watching Alyssa suffer, before removing her mask and smiling. She saw Alyssa's eyes go wide with surprise and then she pulled the trigger, the bullet striking Alyssa in the head. Alyssa's body jerked from the impact and then she was still, her life gone just like that. Bridgette smiled again before walking out of the house, the first half of her task now complete.

* * *

At that same moment, back in Fort Columbus, Nikki was sitting on the couch brooding. She hadn't expected Gwen and Lucy to believe her when she'd suggested that Bridgette was the killer, but she hadn't expected them to mock her either. Somehow that stung worse than anything she'd endured recently, especially coming from Gwen who had been her closest friend for years. But it did sting and Nikki was determined to get them to see the truth, though she still wasn't sure yet quite how she'd come to this revelation. It wasn't something she wanted to believe, but it was impossible not to. Bridgette had been acting strange for days and Nikki knew it had something to do with Gideon. Somehow he had convinced Bridgette to follow him and now she was killing her friends and Nikki wanted to know why. More importantly she wanted the others to see the truth as well before Bridgette killed anyone else. To that end she had called them all together for a meeting, including the Kings, who had just arrived. She knew it wasn't going to be easy to convince them, but she had some compelling evidence that she had just gathered earlier that day that she was certain they wouldn't be able to ignore.

"What's going on Nikki?" Geoff asked. "Why did you call us all together like this?"

"Because I have something important to tell you." Nikki answered, glancing around the room. "This is something you're not gonna want to hear, but I can't keep it to myself any longer, as doing so puts you all in danger."

"Well, that's certainly interesting." Lucy said. "So what is this important thing you have to tell us, prey tell?"

"I think Bridgette is the killer." Nikki answered, her gaze fixed on Geoff.

"Are you fucking insane?" Geoff asked, after a moment's silence. "Why the hell do you think Bridgette is the killer?"

"I have my reasons." Nikki answered, her gaze still fixed on him.

"Well your so called reasons are bullshit." Geoff snapped. "Bridgette isn't the killer, Gideon is. How could you even think something like this? Is it because you're jealous of Bridgette or something like that?"

"No, I am not jealous of Bridgette." Nikki answered, her tone calm. "I am simply considering all options."

"Yet you seem to forget that Bridgette is the one responsible for defeating McLean." Chef said. "What makes you think she would turn on us now?"

"She's under Gideon's influence." Nikki answered. "She's been taken by the darkness and now she's doing exactly what he wanted her to do."

"Yeah, but see, here's the thing." said Lucy. "You make this claim and yet I see no evidence to support it. So why should we believe you?"

"Because I'm your friend." Nikki answered. "And because I know you've all noticed how strange Bridgette has been acting lately. So, you tell me, if she isn't the killer, than why has she been acting like she's got something to hide?"

"Maybe she's hurting inside and just doesn't want to tell us." Gwen suggested. "You know what she's been through in the last two years. I think it's perfectly logical to assume that she's privately dealing with the horrors she's experienced."

"We've all experienced those horrors Gwen." Nikki said. "And yet, you don't see any of the rest of us acting like we're up to something."

"Okay, you make a good point there, but it still doesn't prove she's the killer." Gwen said, her gaze meeting Nikki's.

"I still say she's the killer." Nikki said. "I still say she's been taken by the darkness."

"And I still say you're full of shit." Geoff spat. "You have no proof and it's obvious no one here believes you. Gideon is the killer and nothing you say is going to change that."

"You say that, but you don't know the whole story." Nikki said, smiling.

"What are you talking about?" Geoff asked, his tone incredulous.

"Gideon Hall is dead." Nikki said. "His body was found in the White river two days ago. So you tell me, if he was dead then, how did he attack Bridgette and Heather?"

"That's bullshit." Geoff said, his anger flaring. "If Gideon was dead, we'd have heard about it. So where's your proof?"

"Here." Nikki said, flinging a stack of photos onto the table in front of them. The photos showed a male corpse washed up along the banks of a river as well as the same male body on an autopsy table. "The man in these photos is Gideon Hall."

"Where did you get these, Miss Wong?" Ron asked, glancing at her.

"I got them from the Fort Columbus Police Department earlier today." Nikki answered.

"They still don't prove anything." Geoff said. "That man could be anyone. Just because she says he's Gideon doesn't make it true."

"Maybe not, but it does make her claim more plausible." Chef said. "Still, before we can confirm anything I think Ron, Coach, and I should look into this some more, if that's alright with you Miss Wong?"

"Certainly. Do whatever you feel is necessary." Nikki said. "I'll be waiting for your report."

Chef nodded and he, Ron, and Coach left, while Nikki turned her attention to Geoff, Gwen, and Lucy. "What do you three think now?" she asked.

"I still think you're full of shit." Geoff snapped. "Bridgette isn't the killer and Gideon isn't dead. You're just making shit up to get attention." With that he turned and stormed off, Gwen and Lucy following him in silence.

Nikki wasn't surprised to see them go. She knew it was hard for them to accept the truth, but she supposed it didn't matter. Eventually they would see the truth. She just hoped it happened before it was too late for all of them.

* * *

At that same moment in Fulton Bridgette was making her way over to her parent's house. She had a plan for them as well, but this one required a bit more intricacy and she would have to take her time for it to work. Bridgette didn't mind however, for the leisurely pace of this plan would give her more time to spend with her parents, not to mention more time to watch them die.

Dusk was falling by the time she pulled up in front of her parent's house. She took a moment to gather herself before making her way up to the porch. Once there she rang the doorbell and a moment later the door was answered by her mother.

"Bridgette?" Mrs. Wells asked when she opened the door.

"Hi mom." Bridgette said, smiling at her mother.

"What are you doing here honey?" her mother asked, puzzled.

"I was in town for the day and I thought I'd stop by for a visit." Bridgette answered. "If you and dad are busy I can come back some other time."

"No, no, don't be silly honey." Mrs. Wells said, ushering Bridgette inside. "You know you are always welcome here."

Bridgette smiled, appreciating her mother's kindness, and made her way into the living room where her father sat watching TV. "Hey dad." she said, smiling again.

"Bridgette." Mr. Wells said, obviously happy to see her. "What a pleasant surprise. What brings you to our neck of the woods?"

"I was in town and I thought I'd stop by and say hi." Bridgette answered. "What're you watching?" She glanced at the TV as she spoke and saw that he was watching a basketball game.

"Just a game." Mr. Wells said. "Go ahead and turn it off. I don't mind if I miss it."

Bridgette smiled again and turned off the TV before turning her attention back to her parents, who were both watching her with looks of pride.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, confused.

"We're just so proud of you." Mrs. Wells answered. "You've overcome a lot to get where you are today and we're happy for you."

Bridgette nodded, grateful for her mother's honesty. Apparently they hadn't heard about Gideon or the murders he had committed. Either that or they were simply choosing not to bring it up. Bridgette was grateful either way, for it would make what she was about to do all the easier.

For the next hour they talked, Bridgette enjoying her parent's company and then she put her plan into action. With lightning speed she drew a gun from beneath her hoodie and shot them both with tranquilizer darts, knocking them both out in seconds. She then drug them down to the basement, to the windowless room beneath the back porch. The room had little ventilation and would be perfect for what she had in mind to conclude this part of her plan.

With her parents incapacitated Bridgette made her way back to her car, where she retrieved a gas mask and two large canisters of hydrogen cyanide which she hauled back up to the house. It was dark out now and there was no one around to see her work. Not that she cared, but it was nice not to have any witnesses to deal with after she was done with this. Once back inside she hauled the canisters down to the basement before tying her parents up. She then sat and waited for them to awaken so she could carry out the final piece of this plan.

Several hours later her parents came to, finding themselves tied to chairs. "Honey, where are we?" Mrs. Wells asked, glancing at her husband. "What happened?"

"I...I'm not sure." Mr. Wells answered. "I think we're underground though."

"You are correct in that assessment father." Bridgette said as she stepped out of the shadows, the gas mask resting on top of her head.

"Bridgette?" her father asked. "Bridgette, what's going on? Where are we?"

"You are in your own basement." Bridgette answered. "And as for what's going on, well, I'm about to kill you."

"What?" her mother asked, terror in her voice. "Honey, what are you talking about?"

"I'm going to kill you." Bridgette repeated. "And before you ask why, I'm doing this because it is my destiny. I am the Angel of Death and I have no other choice." With that she pulled the gas mask down over her face and opened the valves on both canisters of hydrogen cyanide.

For a moment nothing happened and then her parents both began to gasp for air, their bodies convulsing as the gas rushed into their lungs. Bridgette stood silent and calm, giving no hint that she was bothered by this at all, and watched her parents die. Finally, after several long minutes her father gave one last shuddering gasp and it was over, her mother having died nearly a minute earlier.

Bridgette took a moment to stare at their lifeless bodies before opening the one vent in the room to allow the gas to escape. "I am sorry it had to be this way." she said then, her voice muffled by the gas mask. "But I had no other choice."

With that she turned and walked out of the house, depositing the gas mask on the couch on her way out. She smiled to herself as she climbed into her car. She hadn't been sure if she could do it, but she had and she was now one step closer to fulfilling her destiny. And with that realization in mind she drove back to Fort Columbus, glad that it was over, glad that she had completed the second of her sinister tasks, and yet knowing that there was still more to come.

**A/N: So, there you go. In case you had any doubts following the previous chapter, Bridgette is now rightly and truly working for the darkness. And yes, she did just kill her own parents, as horrible as that is. Oh, and yes, Gideon is in fact dead and has been since Bridgette stabbed on the bridge back in chapter 18 (Death Becomes Her). It just took awhile for his body to be found. Finally, if you are wondering exactly what hydrogen cyanide is, well, it's essentially cyanide in its gaseous form. Anyway, that's all for now. See you later for the next chapter of murder and mayhem.**


	28. Confrontation

An hour later Bridgette arrived back in Fort Columbus, her mind still consumed with the images of the murders she had just committed. Killing Scott and Alyssa hadn't been all that difficult, as she had never been all that close with them. But she had to admit that killing her parents had been a painful experience, even with all the emotional training she had undergone with Gideon. It had not been easy to stand there and watch her parents die and Bridgette knew the sight of their lifeless corpses would haunt her for the rest of her life. She had shown no sign of emotional weakness at the time, but as she'd made the drive back to Fort Columbus she'd found herself fighting to keep the tears at bay. But she realized that dwelling on it now would do her no good. The deed was done and there was no way to undo it. The only option left was to move forward and that's exactly what Bridgette intended to do, for she still had more lives to take before her destiny could be complete.

To that end she made her way back to Gideon's house to gather the supplies she needed for the next part of her plan. This next step would be difficult to carry out as her next targets were likely to be on high alert. They would likely know by now that she was the killer, even if Nikki hadn't told them, and this would make them more difficult to lure into a trap. But Bridgette had no choice. Their deaths were a part of her destiny and she had to try, lest they find a way to stop her. And so, Bridgette swallowed her trepidation and set out to put the next part of her plan into action, ever aware that one false move would cost her everything.

* * *

Sometime the next day Nikki awoke from a dream in which she had witnessed Bridgette killing Gwen. Shaken and gasping for air Nikki rolled out of bed and made her way down to the kitchen. Once there she poured herself a glass of water and made her way to the living room, where she sat on the couch. Her nightmare about Gwen's death wasn't the only thing that was bothering her and she was afraid to go back to sleep, lest she witness that horrible nightmare again.

It had been nearly twenty four hours since the Kings had gone to confirm her story about Gideon's death and she was beginning to wonder if something had happened to them. They had promised her they would let her know once they had confirmed her story and the only reason she could think for why they hadn't was that something had happened to them. Nikki was certain she knew what that something was, but she could tell that going to Geoff, Gwen, and Lucy with her worries was a bad idea. They were still unconvinced that Bridgette was the killer and Nikki wasn't willing to start another argument with them, especially Geoff who seemed willing to hurt her if she mentioned the subject again. Still, she had to do something before Bridgette could strike again, even if she had to do it alone.

A short time later the answer came to her, startling her with its simplicity. Why not confront Bridgette about this? If she could meet with Bridgette and keep her confined to one location then maybe she could prevent any more murders. The only question was how? How would she get Bridgette to meet with her? More importantly, where would they meet? They couldn't meet at the house without risking getting the others involved and Nikki wanted this meeting to be one on one. So where could they meet? Ultimately Nikki decided to call Bridgette and see if she had any ideas.

Bridgette answered on the third ring. "Hello?" she asked. "Who is this?"

"Bridgette, it's Nikki." Nikki said. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Bridgette asked, her tone irritated.

"Nothing in particular." Nikki answered. "We just need to talk, is all."

"We'll talk when I get home, okay?" Bridgette said. "I'm kind of busy at the moment."

_Yeah, I'll just bet you are,_ Nikki thought. "No, I don't want to meet at the house. Is there somewhere else we can meet?"

Bridgette sighed, obviously not liking Nikki's request. "Yeah, I know a place." she finally answered. "Meet me at 1606 Oak Street in an hour and we'll talk then."

"Okay, see you then." Nikki said, a feeling of triumph rising in her chest.

"Yeah, sure." Bridgette said, her tone flat and irritated as she hung up.

Nikki pocketed her phone and smiled. She knew Bridgette's irritation was due to the fact that she'd been caught and this knowledge made Nikki swell with pride. She had set and baited the trap, now all she needed was for Bridgette to admit the truth and she'd have the victory she so strongly desired. But it wasn't going to be easy and there was something eerily familiar about the address Bridgette had given her. Ultimately Nikki decided to let it go however and set about preparing herself for what would likely end up being a very nasty confrontation.

* * *

An hour later Nikki arrived at 1606 Oak, discovering to her surprise that it was a large house. And not just any large house. There was something off about this place, something creepy that reminded her of the dungeons beneath the Halsenburg Mansion. The thought of those dungeons sent a chill down Nikki's spine and she quickly pushed the thoughts away before making her way up the front steps to the porch.

She rang the doorbell but got no response. Confused, she tried the door, finding to her surprise that it was unlocked. Cautiously, fear gripping her insides with an iron fist, she pushed the door open and stepped inside ever aware that there could be a trap waiting for her around any corner.

"Bridgette?" she called, her voice echoing in the silent house. "Bridgette, are you here?"

Her question was greeted only by silence and for a moment she wondered if Bridgette was even there. Perhaps she wasn't. Perhaps Bridgette had given her this address to lure her away from home so she would be unable to prevent another attack. But just as this thought passed through her mind she heard something that sounded like movement.

"Bridgette?" she called again. "Is that you? Why are you hiding in the shadows?"

Again there was no response and Nikki felt irritation mingle with her fear. "Come on Bridgette, I know it's you." she said. "Quit playing games with me. Stop hiding in the shadows and come talk to me like you said you would."

"But I like the shadows." Bridgette's voice answered then, sending another chill down Nikki's spine. "The shadows are my home."

"What?" Nikki asked, honestly confused and then she remembered why this address was so familiar. This house had once belonged to Charlie and Lauren Bates and was now in Gideon's possession, or at least it had been.

Nikki felt herself shiver at this realization. Why would Bridgette bring her here? What kind of game was Bridgette playing? And then it hit her, Bridgette had brought her here because she was the next target. It made perfect sense and Nikki knew she had little time to prevent her own death.

"You're planning on killing me, aren't you?" she asked, not expecting Bridgette to answer.

"Why would you ask me something like that?" Bridgette asked, finally stepping out of the shadows, a look of concern on her face.

"Because that's why you brought me here, isn't it?" Nikki answered, confused again.

"No, Nikki, no." Bridgette said. "I brought you here because you said you wanted to talk in private and this was the only place I could think of where we wouldn't be disturbed."

"Then why didn't you answer me when I first arrived?" Nikki asked. "And what was all that shit about the shadows being your home?"

"I was just being theatrical." Bridgette said, with a shrug. "Did it work?"

"If by that you mean did it scare the shit out of me, then yes, it did." Nikki answered.

"Well, I'm sorry for that, I suppose." Bridgette said, though her tone did not sound apologetic. "Anyway, you wanted to talk, so let's talk. What would you like to know?"

"I want to know why you've been acting so strange lately." Nikki said, her gaze meeting Bridgette's as she spoke.

"I don't know what you mean." Bridgette said, betraying no hint that she was lying.

"Come on Bridgette, don't play dumb with me." Nikki said. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You've been acting all secretive lately and you've been sneaking off at night to do God knows what and I just want to know what's going on."

Bridgette smiled, her look reassuring, and for a moment Nikki wondered if she was wrong. And then Bridgette spoke, her tone shaking Nikki to the core. "Your fears are unfounded." Bridgette said. "I have been sneaking off at night to find information about Gideon and I have been keeping secrets because I didn't want to alarm any of you. That's all."

For a moment it seemed Nikki would buy Bridgette's pitch but then her look hardened, her gaze dark with suspicion. "I'm sorry, but I don't buy that." she said. "So you'll forgive me if I tell you that you're full of shit. I know the truth Bridgette. You can't fool me."

"What are you implying Nikki?" Bridgette asked. She was no longer smiling, but she showed no sign of fear either. "Are you suggesting that I'm the killer now? Because I have to say, that's pretty fucking insane, even for you."

"No Bridgette, I'm not suggesting that you're the killer. I'm stating it outright." Nikki said, with a smile.

"And I suppose you have some sort of evidence to back up this claim?" Bridgette asked. "Because if you don't then I can see no way for you to convince the others."

"Well, you're in luck then." Nikki said. "Because I do have evidence, though I'm not inclined to share it with you."

"A bold move on your part." Bridgette said. "See, I don't think you have anything. I think you're the one who's full of shit. I mean, how do you expect the others to believe you if you're not even willing to share your so called evidence with me?"

"Oh, they'll believe me, don't you worry about that." Nikki said. "I have ways of making them believe."

"That seems unlikely." Bridgette said, moving to stand next to the coffee table, on which sat a laptop that Nikki just now noticed. "You can't force people to believe things they don't want to believe. So what are you going to do? You can't prove it was me, so the others are just going to keep on believing it was Gideon, which is what you should do as well."

"I would, except Gideon is dead." Nikki said. "You killed him on the old bridge. Which means you also killed LeShawna, Jude, Starr, and Heather. That's my proof, by the way."

For a moment Bridgette was stunned, but she quickly recovered. "No, that's still only a bold claim." she said. "I fought Gideon when he attacked me and Heather and you have no way to prove that I didn't. So you still have nothing."

"You think you're so smart, but I can see through your lies." Nikki said. "I know you are the killer and nothing you say or do will convince me otherwise. So why don't you just admit the truth. Besides, I already have the Kings on my side, so it's only a matter of time before Geoff, Gwen, and Lucy realize the truth as well."

"The Kings are on your side, are they?" Bridgette said, after a long pause. "Well, that's really a shame Nikki, because I just saw the Kings before I came over here and they seemed to be in quite a sticky situation."

"What are you talking about?" Nikki asked, suddenly terrified.

"This." Bridgette answered, as she turned on the laptop, revealing a live feed of the Kings in some abandoned warehouse, all three of them chained to the floor.

Nikki stared in horror, too shocked to speak. This was why the Kings had never gotten back to her. Bridgette had gotten to them first and now they were trapped in some warehouse, chained to the floor, with no way out. And it was then that Nikki realized she had to get out of this house. She had to find the Kings and save them before it was too late. But before she could move Bridgette spoke again, her cold words cutting into Nikki like a knife.

"You were right, you know." Bridgette said, a sinister grin twisting her features as she fingered a remote detonation device. "You were right. I have been taken by the darkness. Gideon made me his disciple and when I killed him I took his place. I am now the Disciple of Darkness, Nikki, only I will be more than Gideon ever was. I am the Angel of Death and it is my destiny to kill you all." With that she pushed the button on the detonator and the warehouse exploded in a ball of flame.

Nikki watched the screen in horror, her eyes wide in shock as the sound of the explosion and Bridgette's laughter echoed in her ears. And then, without realizing what she was doing, she turned and lunged at Bridgette with a snarl, her only thought the desire to end Bridgette's life.

**A/N: And that's that. The Kings have now joined the fallen and Nikki now knows the truth. If you're wondering how Bridgette captured the Kings, the answer to that question will be revealed in the next chapter. Also, as I posted on my profile earlier today, it will still be at least another week until this is finished, but I hope to have it done by next Thursday (only 4 chapters to go by the way, so get ready cuz the finale is going to be huge and also rather depressing).**


	29. A Fight to the Death

Nikki slammed into Bridgette, driving her shoulder into Bridgette's chest with all the force she could muster. Taken by surprise Bridgette gasped, all the air crushed from her lungs. She hit the floor with a thud, all of Nikki's weight crashing down on top of her. She felt Nikki's fist connect with her face, followed by the hot gush of blood as it erupted from her nose. Reflexively Bridgette kicked out, her knee connecting with Nikki's midsection, knocking the other girl off of her.

"Get the fuck off of me, you bitch!" Bridgette screamed as she grabbed Nikki by the hair, before smashing her face into the floor.

Nikki grunted in pain, but before Bridgette could take advantage of the situation she was on her feet, wiping blood from her nose. "You dare call me a bitch after all you just admitted to me?" she asked, her tone incredulous.

"All I told you was for your own good." Bridgette said, pushing herself to her feet as she spoke. "You needed to know the truth before you die."

"Is that so?" Nikki asked. "Well sorry to burst your bubble Bridgette, but if anyone is dying today it's gonna be you."

"Then come and kill me, if you can." Bridgette said, her tone full of mockery.

"Gladly." Nikki spat, before she launched herself at Bridgette again.

This time Bridgette easily avoided Nikki's attack, catching her with an elbow to that back of the head as Nikki sailed past. "You really need to find a new move." Bridgette said. "That one is getting predictable."

"How about this one then?" Nikki asked, before drilling Bridgette in the temple with a picture perfect roundhouse kick.

Stunned, Bridgette went down in a heap, her head ringing from the blow. As she attempted to shake the cobwebs from her brain Nikki grabbed her by the hair and hauled her to her feet before slamming her head into the wall. Bridgette felt the plaster of the wall crack beneath her head and the gush of blood as it ran down into her eyes. Pain screamed through her head and for a moment she wondered if her skull was cracked and then Nikki rammed her head into the wall again. Bridgette's body went limp following the second blow and she felt herself slump to the floor, the pressure of Nikki's grip no longer clamped against the back of her head.

"I want you to tell me something before I kill you." Nikki said, her breath hot against the back of Bridgette's neck. "I want you to tell me why you did it, why you chose to side with Gideon?"

"Fuck...you..." Bridgette grunted, her voice slurred. "I don't have to tell you anything."

"That may be true, but you will tell me." Nikki said, as she grabbed Bridgette by the hair again, hauling her to her feet. "One way or another you will tell me."

With that she flung Bridgette into the wall before slamming her into the beautifully carved and obviously expensive coffee table in the middle of the room. The table buckled under Bridgette's weight, the force of Nikki's blow more than enough to shatter the wood. Bridgette screamed in pain, her whole body convulsing with spasms of pain.

"Come on Bridgette." Nikki taunted. "I thought you were the Disciple of Darkness? You seem pretty fucking pathetic to me."

As Nikki stepped over her Bridgette grabbed a chunk of the table and hurled it up into Nikki's face. Nikki staggered backwards, clutching her face, blood dribbling between her fingers from her broken nose. Before Nikki could shake off the blow Bridgette was on her, raining down punches that left Nikki in a crumpled heap on the floor.

"I am the fucking Disciple of Darkness." Bridgette spat, her tone venomous. "And I don't owe you any fucking explanations." She kicked Nikki then, driving her foot into Nikki's midsection with tremendous force.

Nikki felt at least two of her ribs crack from the force of Bridgette's blow and she gasped in pain, blood dribbling from her mouth, all air crushed from her lungs. As she gasped for air Bridgette grabbed her and rolled her onto her back making the room spin. And then Nikki felt Bridgette's hands close around her throat, clenching like a vice, crushing what little air remained from her lungs.

"And now you die." Bridgette said, her voice distant and hazy to Nikki's ears.

Nikki choked, her brain fighting to find some way to get air. She clawed at Bridgette's face, her nails digging into the flesh of Bridgette's cheeks, and yet Bridgette would not let go. Nikki could feel her life slipping away and the room was starting to darken as her brain began shutting down. And then, from somewhere deep inside her, she felt a new strength rising and she kicked out, her knee connecting with Bridgette's midsection.

Stunned, Bridgette released her grip and Nikki rolled onto her stomach, gasping and coughing as she tried to catch her breath. With Bridgette stunned Nikki crawled towards the stairs, using the railing to pull herself back to her feet. She winced in pain and clutched her ribs before making her way upstairs, hoping Bridgette would follow her.

"Where that hell do you think you're going Nikki?" Bridgette called, following Nikki up the stairs. "There is no way out. You can't escape from me."

"I'm not trying to escape." Nikki shouted back, her voice ragged and hoarse.

Her words caught Bridgette off guard and for a moment Bridgette hesitated. Nikki was planning something and Bridgette wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was. Ultimately she supposed she didn't have a choice however. If she wanted to kill Nikki she had to follow her upstairs, even if she was walking into a trap.

"Okay Nikki, what's your plan?" Bridgette asked, once she had reached the landing. Nikki was nowhere to be seen, but Bridgette knew there were only so many places she could be. "Come on Nikki, why don't you come on out and face your death head on."

At that moment Nikki emerged from the bathroom, a broom clutched in her hands. She lunged at Bridgette, swinging the broom at her head, but Bridgette ducked and dove into the master bedroom. Nikki followed, only to find Bridgette armed with a heavy bronze statue of a dragon. Bridgette swung at her head with the statue, but Nikki blocked the attack with the broom. She then caught Bridgette in the ribs with a powerful blow. Bridgette grunted and dropped the statue, but before Nikki could take advantage of the situation Bridgette tackled her, sending them both tumbling out into the hallway.

As they wrestled for control of the broom they rolled towards the stairs, their momentum ultimately sending them both rolling over the edge. Together they rolled head over heels down the stairs, both of them hitting the floor at the bottom with a thud. Pain screamed through Nikki's body and she could tell Bridgette was in agony as well, though neither of them cried out.

For a moment they both lay there, neither of them able to summon the strength to continue fighting. And then Nikki spoke. "How did you manage to capture the Kings?" she asked. "Cuz I'm having a hard time figuring that one out." She glanced at Bridgette who was watching her with a look of suspicion and confusion.

"I told them I needed their help." she said, after a moment of silence. "You know how the Kings are, or were. They like to help people. So I made up some bullshit about Gideon being at that warehouse and they went to investigate."

"And then, what, you got the drop on them or something?" Nikki asked, stunned that the Kings would so blindly walk into a trap like that.

"Yeah, something like that." Bridgette said, as she pushed herself to her feet. "The Kings were fools, just like you. It was a cakewalk to manipulate them into visiting that warehouse. And once they were there, it was too late."

"You really are a cold-hearted bitch, you know that?" Nikki said, rising to her feet as well.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Bridgette muttered. "To bad that knowledge won't save you." With that she grabbed Nikki by the shirt and hurled her into the wall before grabbing one of the chairs from the dining room. She brought the chair crashing down over Nikki's back, splintering the chair and making Nikki scream in agony.

Bridgette then took one of the broken chair legs and proceeded to pummel Nikki with it, each blow bringing Nikki closer to death. Nikki crumpled beneath the intensity of Bridgette's assault, each blow like a brick to the face. She tried to shield herself against the onslaught, but with only her hands to protect her, that endeavor seemed futile. Still, Nikki would not give up. She had to stop Bridgette at all costs, even if the price was her own life. But she couldn't summon the strength to fight back and she could feel her life slipping from her hands.

Several minutes later the assault ended, Bridgette seeming to have exhausted herself. She knew Nikki was still alive, but she could sense Nikki was in no shape to fight back. Smiling to herself she drew back with the chair leg, aiming it directly at Nikki's heart, and then thrust it forward, but the chair leg met only the wall as Nikki rolled out of the way.

Nikki crawled back into the living room, her entire body wracked with pain, not bothering to check if Bridgette was following her. She heard Bridgette curse and scrambled to find a weapon. But before she could turn to defend herself Nikki felt a sharp stab of pain shoot up her leg as Bridgette drove the chair lag into her calf.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" Bridgette snarled. "I already told you, there's no way out of here." She yanked the chair leg from Nikki's calf and made to stab her with it again, only to have Nikki block the attack with one of the legs from the shattered coffee table.

"And I already told you I'm not trying to escape." Nikki spat. "I am going to stop you here today, whether you like it or not."

With that she rose to her feet and drilled Bridgette in the face with the table leg. As Bridgette collapsed, Nikki drilled her again, this time in the ribs, followed by a pair of hard shots to the back. Bridgette screamed with each blow and dropped the chair leg, leaving herself totally exposed to Nikki's assault. As Bridgette reached out for her weapon Nikki brought the table leg down on her wrist, drawing another scream of pain. Nikki then brought the table leg crashing down on Bridgette several more times before turning her back on her former friend, the table leg sliding from her grasp.

"It ends today Bridgette." she said. "I will not let you walk out of this house alive. I will not let you kill anyone else. It ends today and there is nothing you can do about it. I just have one question to ask you before I bring your reign of terror to an end and you will answer me, understood?"

As Nikki spoke, Bridgette lay in agony, listening to every word. She knew she was beaten, but she was not willing to give Nikki the satisfaction of knowing that. Ultimately she decided she had no other choice however and she gave Nikki her answer. "Alright, I'll answer your question." she said, reaching out for the chair leg as she spoke. Her fingers closed around the weapon a few seconds later and she continued, "Ask me whatever you want, I'll tell you what you want to know."

"Good." Nikki said, still not looking at her. "I want to know why you did it. Why did you betray us like this? Why did you choose to follow Gideon? I mean, you knew what kind of man he was. You knew what he was planning to do to us. So why did you side with him? That's what I want to know." She turned to face Bridgette then, a smile on her face. "Well Bridgette, what's your answer? Why did you-hurk-" Nikki's sentence died in her throat as something jabbed her in the stomach. Glancing down she saw the broken chair leg sticking out of her midsection, impaling her just above her belly button.

Taken by surprise Nikki stepped back from Bridgette, giving Bridgette the room to drive the chair leg deeper into her belly. Seconds later Nikki felt the sharp point of the weapon poke out through the flesh of her back. Gasping, blood dribbling from her mouth, she staggered backwards, her hands clutching the end of the chair leg while Bridgette smiled.

"Looks like I win." Bridgette said, her tone full of triumph.

"N-no." Nikki gasped. "You...you can't win. I won't let you."

"Oh Nikki, haven't you figured it out yet?" Bridgette asked. "There is nothing you can do. I've won. Just accept that and die with what little dignity you have left."

"Fuck you." Nikki gasped. "I...will not...bow...to you this easily. I can still beat you and that is exactly what I plan on doing." With that she yanked the chair leg from her abdomen and tossed it aside, coughing up blood in the process.

However, before she could make any move against Bridgette she collapsed, the loss of blood too much for her body to handle. She saw Bridgette smile and then felt another stab of pain as Bridgette drove the poker from the fireplace into her midsection, right next to the wound left by the chair leg. Again Nikki gasped, more blood dribbling from her mouth.

"You see?" Bridgette asked. "You can't even stand because of how much blood you've lost. Admit it, I've won and you're as good as dead."

"No." Nikki gasped. "I...will never...admit defeat. I will see you...burn you fucking bitch. I will..." She choked then, blood fountaining from her mouth as Bridgette yanked the poker from her abdomen. "Damn you Bridgette...damn you to-" Her sentence cut off as Bridgette drove the poker into her chest, its rusty tip puncturing her heart. Nikki gasped one last time, her body jerking with her brain's last synapse, and then she was gone, death claiming her.

Bridgette stood and stared at Nikki's lifeless body for a moment, the euphoria of victory coursing through her veins, and then she turned and walked out of the house without a backwards glance.

**A/N: And so Nikki joins the deceased. I know some of you will likely be upset by this, so I'll give you the usual warning; please be nice in your reviews or I will block you. There are now only four characters left and only three chapters, so what do you think is going to happen? Will Bridgette be stopped or will more of her friends die by her hand? The answers are coming and they are coming soon, because I plan on having this thing done within the next few days. It won't be by Thursday like I promised (sorry about that, by the way) but it will be soon. So just hang in there a little bit longer, because the ending is going to shock you all.**


	30. The Final Three

Bridgette sat in her car breathing heavily as though she had just run a marathon. She had done it. She had actually done it. She had finally killed Nikki. It had only been minutes since she had left Gideon's house, where Nikki's body still lay, and yet she was already in shock. She hadn't been entirely certain she'd actually be able to kill Nikki, but she had and the feeling it brought her was amazing. If killing Heather had been a euphoric high, then this was something even better, though Bridgette could not find the right word to describe the feeling. Ultimately it didn't matter, as there was still work to be done and Bridgette was determined to see it through to the end.

Now free of Nikki's meddling Bridgette made her way back to her house, hoping Gwen and Geoff would be there so she could end this quickly. To her immense disappointment she arrived home to find that both of them were gone. Cursing, Bridgette made her way inside, intending to clean herself up a bit before going looking for the others. But as she entered the house she realized there was one other person she needed to deal with and that person was standing in front of her now, staring at her with a look of concern and suspicion.

"Hey Lucy." she muttered, not meeting Lucy's gaze as she spoke.

"Hey yourself." Lucy said, her tone icy. "Where have you been Bridgette?"

Sensing a trap Bridgette didn't answer and pushed past Lucy without another word, heading for the stairs.

"Hey, I asked you a question." Lucy shouted. "Where the hell have you been? And where is Nikki? I haven't seen her all day."

Bridgette paused at this, one foot on the bottom step, but she did not answer. After waiting a moment to see if Lucy would follow her she shrugged and continued on her way, leaving Lucy to wait in stunned silence.

Several minutes later Bridgette came back downstairs, dressed in a completely different outfit, a smile on her face. Lucy stared at her, now throughly confused, though she was still determined to get the answers she sought.

"Bridgette, talk to me." she said, a note of pleading in her voice now. "Where have you been? Where is Nikki? Was she out with you?"

"No." Bridgette finally answered. "Have you seen Geoff and Gwen?"

Lucy blinked, taken aback by Bridgette's question. "I...yeah, they're out looking for you and Nikki. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious is all." Bridgette answered. "I need to talk to them, but I guess it can wait until later."

"Okay, so where were you earlier?" Lucy asked, still confused.

"I was killing Nikki." Bridgette answered, her tone calm and nonchalant, as though killing people was something she did every day.

"Wait, what?" Lucy asked. "Did you just say you killed Nikki?"

"Yes." Bridgette answered. "I did. I killed others as well and now I'm going to kill you." With that, she drew a gun from her belt and aimed it at Lucy's head.

Lucy froze, too shocked by this sudden turn of events to react, and then she heard the pop of the gun firing as Bridgette squeezed the trigger. The sound of the gun firing was the last sensation Lucy knew and then everything went dark, her body hitting the floor with a thud.

Bridgette stood over Lucy's body, staring at the bloody wound in her head. She smiled and then walked out of the house, all of her attention now turned to finding Geoff and Gwen.

* * *

An hour or so later Geoff and Gwen arrived back at the house after a fruitless search for Bridgette and Nikki. Both of them were exhausted, but they had little time to rest. Nikki had gone after Bridgette and they had to stop her before something bad happened. They knew Nikki hadn't heard back from the Kings, that was what had sent them on their search in the first place, and they knew Nikki was determined to prove to them that Bridgette was the killer. They were still unconvinced of Bridgette's guilt, but they knew Nikki would not stop until she had gained the proof she needed. They had left Lucy behind in case either Bridgette or Nikki returned home, though neither of them were hopeful that this would actually happen.

"Well, that search was definitely not worth it." Geoff said, his tone irritated.

"Don't say that." Gwen said. "We may not have found them, but we didn't find anything to indicate that they had met either, so that's something."

"When did you become so fucking positive?" Geoff asked, perplexed.

"I've been spending a lot of time with Bridgette." Gwen answered. "She has that effect on people, I can't-oh God no!" Her sentence turned into a scream as it changed course mid stream.

"What?" Geoff asked, startled. "What is it? Did you see a ghost or something?"

Gwen shook her head and pointed in the direction of the stairs. Geoff followed her gaze with his own, instantly noticing what had made Gwen scream. There, sprawled at the foot of the stairs, blood pooling beneath her head, was Lucy, her body utterly still and silent.

Slowly Geoff and Gwen made their way over to Lucy's body, both of them silently hoping she was still alive, though it was quite obvious she wasn't. As they approached they could see that Lucy had been shot once in the head at close range. Her eyes were still open, staring blankly up at them, a look of surprise on her face.

"Who...who could have done this?" Gwen asked, her voice trembling as she fought to hold back the tears.

"Who do you think?" Geoff asked, as though it were obvious.

"You think it was Gideon?" Gwen asked, glancing at him in surprise.

"Of course I think it was Gideon." Geoff answered. "Who else would it be?"

"It...well, and this is just a suggestion so please don't get mad, but it could have been Bridgette." Gwen said. "I think we have to consider that possibility even if we don't want to."

"You sound like Nikki now." Geoff said, his tone irritated again.

"I know I do." Gwen said. "And I don't want to, but maybe she's right. Maybe Bridgette has gone over to the darkness. When you think about it, it does explain why she's been acting so weird lately. Also, why would Gideon have any reason to kill Lucy?"

"I don't know." Geoff snapped. "Why does that bastard do anything he does? Look, now is not the time to be arguing about this. We need to find Bridgette and Nikki and then we can sort all this shit out, okay?"

Gwen nodded just as her phone rang. Taken by surprise she whipped it out and answered it, not bothering to check who was calling. "Hello?" she asked. Bridgette's voice answered from the other end of the line and Gwen paled, fear gripping her heart. After a moment of talking on the phone, Gwen hung up, before turning towards Geoff, a look of horror on her face.

"Gwen, who was that?" Geoff asked, startled by the look on her face.

"It was Bridgette." Gwen said. "She said she needs to talk to us and she gave me an address to meet her at. She also said we need to watch the news. Apparently there is a story we need to see."

"Okay." Geoff said, obviously not understanding why Gwen was so upset. "Let's watch the fucking news then."

Gwen reluctantly nodded and Geoff switched on the TV, flipping to the news station with great haste. The sight that greeted them there was not what they had been expecting and it horrified them both, for the news story they were watching was about four murders in Fulton that were believed to be connected.

"...Scott Martin and his girlfriend Alyssa Channing were found shot to death in their home yesterday." the newscaster was saying. "Less than an hour later the bodies of Bob and Brenda Wells were found in their basement. Police are investigating the possibility that the murders are connected and are seeking the Wells' daughter Bridgette for questioning. If anyone has any information you are encouraged to contact the Fulton Police Department or the Fort Columbus Police Department."

Geoff switched off the TV and for a moment he and Gwen sat in stunned silence. "Oh my God." he whispered. "I think Nikki might have been right."

Gwen glanced at him then, surprised. "What makes you say that?" she asked.

"You saw the news." Geoff said. "My brother was killed. So were Bridgette's parents. Why would Gideon kill them? I don't want to believe it, but I think Bridgette may actually be the killer."

"So, what do we do now?" Gwen asked, her tone suggesting she did not want to know what Geoff's answer would be.

"We head to the address Bridgette gave you." Geoff said. "One way or another, the answers to all of this are there and if we want to know the truth, we have to confront Bridgette."

Gwen nodded, though she seemed unsure. "What about Lucy?" she asked, glancing at Lucy's lifeless corpse.

"We'll take care of her when we get back." Geoff said, though he seemed unsure they would return. "Now let's go."

Gwen nodded again and they set off towards whatever hell awaited them at the address Bridgette had given them.

* * *

An hour later Geoff and Gwen arrived at the address Bridgette had given Gwen, finding it to be a large, abandoned warehouse. The building looked like it hadn't been used in years and was surrounded by a chain-link fence that had fallen into disrepair. There were several large shipping containers sitting in the lot beside the warehouse and a large, rusted piece of machinery that looked like it had been used for making cans.

"What is this place?" Gwen asked. "More importantly, why would Bridgette want to meet us here?" She glanced at Geoff, who did not answer immediately.

"My guess would be so if she is planning to kill us it will be harder for our bodies to be found." Geoff answered, obviously disliking the prospect.

Gwen shuddered and they made their way into the warehouse, both of them on high alert for any sign of Bridgette. Inside the warehouse sat several more pieces of machinery, as well as stacks of wooden crates, a forklift, and various parts and pieces belonging to what Geoff assumed had once been intact vehicles. Rat droppings, broken glass, and sawdust littered the floor and several large chains hung from the ceiling, the large, gruesome hooks at the ends of two of them making Gwen shudder.

"Bridgette?" she called. "Bridgette are you here? It's Gwen and Geoff."

"What the hell are you doing?" Geoff snapped, his voice a whisper.

"I want to get this over with, okay?" Gwen answered. "This place gives me the creeps and I have no intention of staying here longer than I have to. So, the sooner we get Bridgette to show herself, the sooner we can get going."

"Okay, whatever." Geoff said. "You don't have to bite my head off."

"Sorry." Gwen said, before calling out again. "Come on Bridgette, we know you're here. Why don't you come on out so we can talk?"

At that a light snapped on and Bridgette stepped out from behind a stack of crates, a smile on her face. "Geoff. Gwen." she said. "So nice to see you came."

"Cut the crap Bridgette." Geoff snapped. "What's going on? Why did you bring us here?"

"Oh please Geoff, I though the why was pretty fucking obvious." Bridgette answered. "Or did you not watch the news like I told Gwen you should?"

"No, we watched it." Gwen answered. "And what we saw was pretty fucked up, so you mind explaining to us what that was all about?"

"Certainly." Bridgette answered. "I did that. I killed Scott and Alyssa, and I killed my parents. I want you to see that so you'd have no illusions about what is going to happen here today."

For a moment Geoff and Gwen were too stunned to speak and then Gwen found her voice again. "Bridgette are you...are you serious?" she asked. "Did you really kill Scott, Alyssa, and your parents?"

"Yes, I did." Bridgette answered. "I also killed LeShawna, Jude, Starr, and Heather."

"What about Lucy, did you kill her too?" Geoff asked, too horrified to be angry.

"Yes." Bridgette answered. "Yes, I did that as well." She smiled then, as though there was nothing unnatural about what she was telling them.

"And Nikki?" Gwen asked. "Where is she? Is she with the Kings?"

"Nikki is dead as well, as are the Kings." Bridgette answered. "I killed them this morning just before I killed Lucy."

"You fucking bitch." Gwen spat, anger now replacing her shock. "Why would you do something like this?"

"I have my reasons." Bridgette answered. "But you do not need to concern yourself with them, for soon you will also be dead."

"No, fuck that." Geoff shouted. "You owe us a fucking explanation Bridgette. Nikki, Lucy, the Kings, Scott, your own parents, what drove you to kill all these people who cared about you?"

"I killed them because it is my destiny." Bridgette answered. "When I killed Gideon, I took his place. I became the Disciple of Darkness. But I became more than that, I became the Angel of Death. It is my destiny to kill all the people I love so that the Order of Blood and Shadows may prosper under my leadership and become what it was always meant to be."

"That's why you did all this?" Geoff asked. "Because of some bullshit destiny Gideon and McLean thought you had to follow?"

"Yes." Bridgette answered. "Though the destiny is not bullshit. It is real and I will fulfill it, no matter what it takes. I have killed all the others, we are the final three, and now I will kill you."

"Bridgette please, listen to yourself." Gwen said. "You sound insane. This whole thing is insane. Just stop and come with us. We can get you help."

"I wish it was that simple." Bridgette said. "But it's not. I am sorry, but you must die and you will, now." With that she drew a gun from her belt, aimed it a Gwen's head, and squeezed the trigger.

**A/N: And then there were three. Lucy has joined the fallen and we're down to the last three characters of any real importance. You can probably guess how this is likely going to end by now, but if you haven't, I won't spoil it for you. Also, sorry it took longer than expected to get this up. I got sick late last week and was in a state of misery all weekend, so that's why this was delayed. There are only two chapters left to go and they should be up tomorrow and Friday, so buckle up, because the ending is coming like a bat out of hell.**


	31. Everything Ends

The bullet struck Gwen just above her right eye and exploded out the back of her head, spraying blood, skull fragments, and brain matter across the floor behind her. Gwen stood for a moment, a look of shock on her face, and then she keeled over, dead before she hit the floor. Geoff and Bridgette both stared at Gwen's body a moment and then Bridgette swung the gun towards Geoff's head, aiming to kill.

Before she could pull the trigger though, Geoff lunged ate her, knocking the gun from her hand. Taken by surprise Bridgette went down in a heap while Geoff moved to incapacitate her. His hands found her throat and he began to squeeze, but she quickly lashed out, her knee connecting with his midsection. Gasping, Geoff rolled off of her only to have Bridgette throw herself on top of him with a savage snarl.

"No!" she screamed. "I won't let you get away. I will kill you Geoff and the sooner you accept that the better it will be for both of us."

"Shut up, you crazy bitch." Geoff shouted. "You won't be killing anyone else so long as I'm alive to stop you."

"No, you still don't get it do you?" Bridgette asked. "You still don't understand what is happening here, do you? Well let me explain one last time. This is my destiny, there is nothing you can do to stop me. That was the mistake that got Nikki killed. I am the Angel of Death, I cannot be stopped. So stop struggling and just accept your death, damn it."

"Why should I just bend to your wishes like that?" Geoff asked. "I am simply doing what any logical creature would do when backed into a corner. I'm defending myself, so you'll forgive me if I don't just roll over and die."

"Have it your way then." Bridgette spat, before she lunged at him, a look of true insanity flashing in her eyes.

Geoff managed to sidestep her attack, but before he could even blink, Bridgette was wheeling around and coming at him again. This time she connected with her target, her elbow smashing into Geoff's face with tremendous force, knocking him onto his back. Bridgette felt Geoff's nose explode against her elbow and smiled before driving her elbow into his face a second time.

Geoff screamed in shock and pain and felt the hot gush of blood as it ran down his face from his shattered nose. He had not expected Bridgette to be this strong or violent, but then, she was no longer the Bridgette he had known. She had changed, had become something much darker and more vile than the kindhearted, loving girl he had met two years earlier. And it was then that he realized that she was right, there was no way to avoid what was coming. One of them was going to die here in this abandoned warehouse and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Well, if that was the case, then at least he'd make sure it was Bridgette who died, so the deaths of the others could be avenged.

With that thought in mind Geoff brought his fist crashing up into Bridgette's ribs, the impact making her release him. Gasping, he pulled himself to his feet before kicking Bridgette in the face, sending her sprawling. Bridgette grunted in pain, but quickly made it back to her feet.

"Is that the best you've got?" she asked, wiping blood from her nose. "Cuz I was trained by Gideon Hall. It's going to take a lot more than that to stop me."

"Yeah, well, how's this?" Geoff shouted as he nailed her with a wicked right hook that sent her sprawling again. He did not wait for her answer, instead choosing to keep up the attack while he had the advantage. To that end he threw himself on top of her, pinning her to the floor while he punched her repeatedly in the face.

Bridgette screamed with each blow, though her screams were motivated more by frustration than pain. She had to get out of Geoff's grasp if she wanted to regain the advantage, but his strength was proving to be more than she could deal with at the moment. Still, she would not give up, for doing so would lead to failure and she would not allow that to happen. With that thought in mind she reached deep within herself to find her hidden well of strength and as Geoff's fist swung down towards her again, she reached up and caught it, catching him by surprise.

Using Geoff's momentary lapse in concentration to her advantage Bridgette brought both knees up into his midsection and flipped him off of her. She then flipped herself over as well, before clamping Geoff in a choke-hold. Squeezing with all her strength she heard him gasp for air and felt his body slowly go limp beneath her. Smiling, confident that she now permanently held the advantage, she began to relax the hold, only to have Geoff spring to life. He stood, with her still hanging from his back, and stepped backwards slamming her into a stack of crates.

Bridgette released her grip with the force of Geoff's blow and she slid to the floor in a heap, her breath coming in sharp, painful gasps. As she struggled to catch her breath, Geoff stepped in and grabbed her by the hair, hauling her to her feet with a strength she had not known he had. "I guess you're not as good as you thought you were." he whispered in her ear. "Or is there another reason why I'm still alive?"

Bridgette did not answer him. Instead, she twisted away from him, yanking her body to the side in an effort to escape his grasp. She felt a clump of her hair tear free from her scalp and fought to keep herself from screaming. But she was now free of Geoff's grip and she quickly moved to take advantage of the situation. However, Geoff was ready for her and he floored her with another strong right hook.

"Don't you get it yet, Bridgette?" he asked. "I'm not going to let you win. No matter how many times you get back up, I'll just keep knocking you down until you stay down for good."

"No." she spat. "You're wrong. I am the fucking Angel of Death. I cannot be beaten. So go ahead, keep knocking me down. I don't care because you'll never put me down for good."

Geoff smiled and swung at her again, but this time she was ready for him. She caught his arm with both hands and twisted until a sickening crack split the silence in warehouse. Geoff screamed as his right arm popped out of its shoulder socket and his elbow shattered, leaving the arm completely useless. Bridgette smiled at him then, her smile a twisted mockery of joy.

"See?" she asked. "See what I am capable of? I'll do that to every part of your body before I kill you, because it's what your insolence deserves."

Clutching his broken arm in agony, Geoff met her sadistic gaze with one of defiance, though she could see the fear in his eyes as well. He was beginning to realize that he could not win, that it was hopeless and that he was about to die. But there was still a will to live in him that had to be extinguished before he got his strength back. To that end she grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him to his feet before slamming him into a stack of crates.

As Geoff smashed through the crates, Bridgette grabbed a piece of broken piping which she then brought crashing down on his broken body. Geoff screamed with each blow, but Bridgette was relentless and it was all Geoff could do to shield himself from the blows. Bridgette's assault lasted for several minutes, Geoff doing everything in his power to escape her wrath. Finally, just when it seemed like Bridgette had gained the upper hand for good Geoff found a pile of sawdust, which he hurled back into Bridgette's face in a last ditch attempt to escape.

Bridgette shrieked in pain as the sawdust hit her face, the tiny grains of wood burying themselves in her eyes and coating her throat with a fine, choking layer. As Bridgette gasped for air and fought to see, Geoff crawled away as fast as he could, all thought of revenge now gone. It was obvious to him that winning was not an option and his only means of survival were to escape and find someone, anyone, who could help him. With Bridgette distracted now was his best chance to escape and he began making his way towards what he hoped was the exit.

Unfortunately, after several minutes of wandering around warehouse, Geoff realized he was hopelessly lost. The warehouse was much larger than he had originally assumed and he could not remember where the door he and Gwen had entered was. The excruciating pain radiating down his broken arm wasn't helping things, as the pain made it very difficult to concentrate on anything. He was certain he'd be able to find his way out of here if it weren't for the pain, but there wasn't much he could do about that now. Cursing Bridgette, he began wandering again, hoping that eventually he would discover an exit.

"Geoff?" Bridgette's voice called out then, making his blood freeze. "Geoff, where did you go, honey? We're not done yet. I'll admit, that was a nice trick you pulled with the sawdust, but it won't save you. I will find you, it's only a matter of time."

Geoff knew she was right and this fact only made him more frantic in his attempt to find the exit. But he still didn't have any idea where the exit was and he was beginning to lose hope that he would ever find it. He wandered aimlessly for several more minutes before realizing he was at the back of the warehouse. However, just as this realization hit him he heard footsteps and turned to see Bridgette approaching, a look of pure sadistic glee on her face, small trickles of blood running from her eyes where the sawdust had done its damage.

"Told you I'd find you." she said, her bloody eyes boring into his. "And found you I have, so prepare yourself for your death, because today everything ends."

"Oh God." Geoff breathed, knowing his death was almost upon him. It was than, however, that he noticed the rickety shelving unit that stood beside Bridgette, its shelves stacked high with boxes and crates full of God only knew what. Struck by a sudden inspiration, Geoff lunged at the shelving unit, slamming himself into it with all the force he could muster. The unit toppled, sending its contents crashing down on top of Bridgette, who screamed as the boxes and crates buried her alive.

With Bridgette trapped beneath the shelving unit, Geoff made his way back the way he had come, finally spotting Gwen's lifeless body near the entrance. He made his way over to her, dropping to his knees beside her motionless form with a painful grunt. Gwen's eyes were still open, her features twisted in the same look of shock that Lucy's had been. Blood had pooled beneath her head and there were two small streaks down her face as well. Geoff shuddered as he stared at her, fighting the urge to cry, a fight he ultimately lost.

"Oh God, Gwen, I am so sorry." he sobbed. "I'm sorry for bringing you here. I'm sorry for not listening to Nikki earlier. I'm sorry for everything. Maybe if I hadn't been so blind none of this would have happened. Maybe if I wasn't so fucking stupid none of this would have-ah!" He screamed then, changing course mid-sentence as something sharp tore through his shoulder.

"No, everything would have turned out exactly the same." Bridgette said behind him. "Your actions would have changed nothing."

"How?" he gasped, twisting around to stare at her. "How did you get out? I buried you alive, so how did you survive?"

"I told you, I am the Angel of Death." she said, yanking the broken pipe from his shoulder as she spoke. "I cannot be killed." She tossed the pipe aside and drew a large knife before stepping forward and burying it in his chest. Geoff gasped, but Bridgette ignored him and just kept stabbing and stabbing, until she was covered in his blood. She glanced down at him then, smiling at his butchered body, his chest carved open to expose his internal organs, nearly every inch of his flesh flayed to bloody ribbons.

It was then that he spoke, somehow still alive despite the damage she had done. "Bridgette." he gasped. "Bridgette...please...stop. I...I want you to know...that I love you. No matter what...what you...do...I...will always...love...you..." His sentence trailed off then as his head slumped back, his life extinguished forever.

Bridgette stared at him a moment, her gaze also taking in Gwen's body laying a few feet away, but the now familiar feeling of euphoria did not come. And it was then that she realized that this was not what she had wanted. She felt the knife slide from her grip and stared down at her bloody hands, horror and dread filling her soul. "Oh God, what have I done?" she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. "What have I done?" And with that question still echoing in her mind she turned and ran from the warehouse, determined to find somewhere to hide from what she had just done.

**A/N: And that's that. Gwen and Geoff have joined the fallen and now Bridgette is left to pick up the pieces of her decimated life. And yes, that was just remorse she showed there at the end. So what happens now? Well you'll just have to wait for the epilogue, where I will finally reveal the shocking conclusion of Bridgette's destiny.**


	32. Epilogue: Destiny Fulfilled

Bridgette sat alone on the couch staring blankly at the wall. Her mind was racing and she felt like she was going to be sick. What had she done? What had driven her to kill Geoff and Gwen? What had she been doing in that warehouse? In truth she knew the answer. She knew exactly what she had done and why she had done it. Gideon, it was all his fault. Somehow he had gotten to her and convinced her that she was the Angel of Death, but it had all been a lie.

"It was all a lie." she muttered to herself. "Oh God, it was all a lie and believed him. I killed for him, but there was no reason. I am not the Disciple of Darkness. I am not the Angel of Death. I am a coward and a failure and now I have nothing."

She wasn't sure what it was exactly that had convinced her that Gideon's promises, and by extension her destiny, were a lie, but she knew now that they were. She had been brainwashed, just like Cecily, and she had killed her friends not for her own destiny, but for Gideon's twisted game. And yet, she had done it, even if the destiny had been a lie she had fulfilled it. This fact brought her little comfort though and she knew nothing ever would. She was alone in the world now and she knew the police were coming for her. There was nowhere for her to run and nowhere for her to hide. She had only one option left and yet it wasn't easy to give in to that impulse. But she had to, it was the only way. If she didn't do it she would spend the rest of her life in prison, alone and unloved, for all the crimes she had committed. And so, with that thought in mind, she rose from the couch and made her way up to her room, pausing to stare at Lucy's lifeless body which still lay at the foot of the stairs.

Several minutes later Bridgette returned to the couch, a small revolver clutched in her hands. She brought the gun to her head and then paused, something preventing her from pulling the trigger. For a moment she was confused. Why couldn't she do it? And then she realized it was because she didn't have closure, she hadn't yet closed the book on all the events of the past few years. With that in mind she closed her eyes and let her mind wander, taking her back in time to the beginning of this whole shitty adventure.

Her mind showed her scenes from that day, arriving at Hayward for the first time, meeting Nikki, and Gwen, and Jude, and Geoff, and everyone else. She remembered how amazing she had felt the first time she had laid eyes on Geoff, how the entire world had seemed to stop for just a moment. And then the scene in her mind shifted, showing her her first meeting with Heather and her gang, followed in quick succession by all the other meetings she'd had in those first few weeks, ending with her confrontation with Duncan and the revelation of why he had been observing her.

Again the scene shifted, her mind now showing her the meeting with the Kings where she had agreed to become Duncan's tutor. And then everything else played out in her mind like a movie she couldn't turn off. Cheating with Duncan, hiding it from the others, the revelation of the truth, the party to end all parties, arguing with herself, the rape, recovery, prom, the trial, graduation, all of it played out in blazing, brilliant clarity against the backdrop of her emotionally shattered mind. And then there was a pause in her recall, as though memories had been removed.

Shaking her head Bridgette tried to get the next memory to come, finally succeeding when the memory of the day Geoff had given her the necklace popped into her mind. And then, like another flood the next set of memories came in a torrent. Moving to Fort Columbus, starting at CSU, meeting Cecily, living with Nikki, Gwen, and Izzy, meeting Shane and Dr. McLellen, McLean's escape, the murders of Jen and Harold and Cody and Sierra and Caitlin, the kidnappings, Shane's betrayal, Eva's death, Cecily helping them, the Halsenburg Mansion, finding Nikki alive, finding Izzy dead, the fight with Cecily, Duncan's death, and the fight with McLean. All of these memories played out with same clarity and focus, bringing tears to her eyes.

And then, in one last horrible change the scene shifted again and the last year played out for her beginning with Lucy's arrival in Fort Columbus. This was followed by Katie's suicide, the memorial service, having sex with Geoff, Gideon's arrival, Justin's death, the mystery of Gideon, Courtney's death, Owen's death, losing Wyatt and Marlowe, Gideon's sick game with Lindsey, losing Dr. McLellen, Cecily's warning, more deaths, her transformation, Gideon's death, the discovery of the truth about the Order, still more deaths, killing Heather, killing her parents, killing Nikki and Lucy and Gwen and Geoff, the realization that it had all been a lie.

It was then that Bridgette broke down completely, tears pouring down her cheeks in torrents. "Oh God, I am so sorry." she sobbed. "I am so sorry to all of you. Duncan, Geoff, Nikki, Gwen, Lucy, Izzy, mom, dad, all of you. I stabbed you all in the back and I am sorry. If I could take it all back I would, but I can't. I can't..." Her voice trailed off as she continued sobbing uncontrollably, her entire body shaking with the force of her sobs.

Sometime later, Bridgette wasn't sure when, she heard the sound of cars pulling up outside the house. Realizing it was the police she sat up and stared at the gun in her hand before bringing it up to her right temple again. "This is the only way." she murmured, before squeezing the trigger. The bullet tore through her temple and exploded out the back of her head in a shower of blood, brain matter and skull fragments. Bridgette's body jerked from the force and she slumped back on the couch, dead before her head hit the cushions.

Seconds later, having heard the shot, several policemen burst into the house, all of them stopping short when they saw Bridgette's body. One of the officers made his way over to Bridgette and checked her pulse, though it was obvious she was dead. "She's gone." the officer said, a note of sadness in his voice.

"Damn shame." another officer said. "Well, let's get the scene processed. We can't just leave them here and it's obvious she won't be standing trial for anything now."

The other officers nodded and they moved to secure the scene, one of them calling the coroner to come at retrieve Bridgette and Lucy's bodies.

And while all this action went on around her Bridgette lay dead on the couch, her blank, sightless gaze staring at nothing, the gun still clutched in her hand. And though she was dead she somehow knew that her destiny had been fulfilled. It had been a long and painful journey, but it was over now and pain and suffering are all one can expect when one's destiny is a destiny of death.

**End.**

**A/N: And that's the end of Bridgette's journey. Yes, she did kill herself, so yes everyone dies. But this was necessary. After all the deaths I featured in TLoL I felt like I had to go this route or the characters who survived would be so fucked up emotionally that they'd just kill themselves anyway. I know this was likely not the ending many of you wanted to read, but this is the ending you get, so deal with it. I fully understand that it sucks, but not all stories can have happy endings. So that's the end. Thank for reading and reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this fic. This concludes the trilogy (obviously there can't be any sequels if everyone is dead). So again, thank you for reading and keep checking in for new fics as I'll always have something going. Cheers, Kamari Turen.**


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